NIP employees tired of being called ‘murderers’

Employees of Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) say they are tired of being called murderers by doctors and clinicians because they are failing to provide basic tests.

Speaking at a demonstration at the NIP head office in Windhoek yesterday afternoon, workers chanted “Sell the cars and buy reagents” and “Patients’ lives matter”.

The employees handed over a petition to the board protesting the misuse of funds. The employees were joined by the Namibia Public Workers Union.

The employees said the executive members had splurged funds on luxury vehicles despite a plethora of service interruptions due to instruments malfunctioning and stock shortages.

“It is well known that the company has been functioning under difficult conditions such as a shortage of reagents, instrument breakdowns to perform daily operations, lack of proper infrastructure at peripheral labs, shortage of samples transporting vehicles [sic] and their [sic] petrol, and a shortage of staff in the departments, only to mention a few,” the petition outlined.

The workers demanded to see the policy and procurement procedures that were used to purchase the new vehicles.

“We demand to know why executives are happy to receive free vehicles from the company and at the same time have car allowances in the package of total cost to company.”

The petition also highlighted that the fringe benefits policy, which facilitated the purchase of vehicles, was only introduced this year.

In November, NIP paid N$1,1 million for chief executive Kapena Tjombonde’s Mercedes-Benz and N$1 million for chief technical officer Nabot Uushona’s Ford. The chief human capital officer Oaitse van Staden’s Toyota Fortuner, worth N$1,1 million, was also purchased by the parastatal, among others.

NIP board chairperson Bryan Eiseb on Monday, however, said the board had approved the vehicle purchases.

“I can confirm that we have approved a vehicle scheme for executives. It is management that is required to consider the scheme and implement it,” he said.

The provision of performance bonuses was also among the list of employee demands. NIP employees said that they have not received performance bonuses in the past five years.

“It is important to point out that the employees meet their social needs through hard work, commitment and all other services rendered to NIP,” the petition outlined.

One of the board members, Vanessa Tjijenda, received the petition at the demonstration.

“Thank you for the opportunity to receive the petition on behalf of the board chairperson. I will take this back to the board and as a board, we will study the petition,” she said.

When asked by The Namibian whether the public institution is in a sound position to be splurging millions of dollars on vehicles, Tjijenda did not respond.