WINDHOEK—The Health Professions Councils of Namibia (HPCNA) has capped the annual intake for nursing and midwifery programs at local educational institutions to 50 students per campus beginning in 2025. This move aims to preserve the quality of training and safeguard patient safety amidst concerns about the growing number of graduates facing unemployment.

According to Namibia Press Agency, HPCNA Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Cornelius Weyulu detailed the new measures in an interview on Friday. He emphasized that the decision was driven by the negative impacts of increasing enrollment numbers on the quality of practice and the strain on health facility capacities. The change mandates that each approved nursing and midwifery training institution in Namibia will have only one intake per year, limited to 50 students.

Weyulu further noted that these steps are critical to preventing practice deficiencies and ensuring public protection. The directive will be applied to future intakes, and institutions that have already admitted students above this limit for the upcoming year will be required to comply from the next cycle. Additionally, starting from 2025, all locally trained nursing and midwifery graduates must successfully pass the Nursing Council evaluation to be registered or enrolled as practitioners.

The regulations also include a suspension of new nursing and midwifery campus openings, with exceptions for those already approved but not yet operational. Similarly, the approval of new undergraduate training programs for nurses and midwives is on hold until further notice. Despite these significant changes, Simon Namesho, Manager of Public Relations and Corporate Engagement at the University of Namibia (UNAM), assured that the adjustments would not adversely affect university operations, with a continued focus on the quality of graduates.