SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCESCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

POLYTECHNIC O F N A M I B I A

transforming into Namibia University of Science and Technology

TITLE: THE CAUSES OF STAFF TURNOVER IN THE PUBLIC HEALTHCARE FACILITIES: A CASE STUDY OF KHOMAS REGION IN NAMIBIA

Author: JOSEPHINA MWADHINANDYENABOTHand ANGELA CLARKE

Year: 2012

Institution: Polytechnic of Namibia

Mailing Address:Josephine Mwadhina<kashanu82@yahoo.co.uk>

Phone no: 081 263 0364

ABSTRACT

Purposeq Although considerable research has been undertaken to in-

vestigate capacity building within the Namibian Public Health Sector, little work has been published on staff turnover as a major contributor to the capacity building issue. It is against this background that the researcher soughtto better understand the nature and causes of high staff turnover in the Public HealthSector, and find potential solutions to help overcome this important challenge.

Design/Methodology/Approachq This cross sectional study targetedstaff and patients at

selected public health facilitiesinthe Khomasregion of Namibia. Data was collected using structured questionnaires distrib-uted topatients as well as to current and former Health Care Workers (HCWs). Semi-structured face to face interviews with a number of Health Care staff were also conducted.

Findingsq Research findings, supported with secondary research from

theMinistry of Health Social Services (MoHSS) indicated that virtually all HCWs left the Public Health Sector voluntarily. However, virtually all of the causes for their departure related to factors completely within the control of the organisation - such as low salaries and benefits, poor working conditions, a lack of recognition for good work and weak performance management practices.

q Various strategies to address the staff turnover problem have been adopted in the past in Namibia, but have had negligible impact. This is mainly because

they lacked a holistic approach and because many of the strategies did not address the root causes of the problem, providing instead a number of short-lived ini-tiatives that merely alleviated the symptoms.

Research limitationsqAlthough the research undertook a triangulated approach,

results from the questionnaires were based on a statisti-cally small sample size. Some of the secondary research consulted was a few years old,as newer published datawas unavailable. Furthermore, as the research was conducted using convenience-sampling, the findings may not be rep-resentative of the whole of Namibia or even of the whole of Khomas region.The research was also limited as a cross-sectional study as insufficient doctors, social workers and pharmacists participated in the study to confidently represent a valid cross-section of the whole Public Health Sector.

Practical implicationsq This paper makes a number of recommendations for the

MoHSS to address root causes. Recommendations include redistributed financial incentives and better workload management practices. Suggestions are also made for how Namibia could benefit from a better sharing of knowledge, expertise and resources with other countries to address com-monissues of high staff turnover.

q The research investigates the issues in Namibia, but the problem of high staff turnover in the Public Health Sector is a global issue. In particular, it is threatening the success of key health and development goals in low-income countries. The recommendations made in this paper have the potential to be applied to the Public Health Sector worldwide.

Originality/valueq Although a vast amount of Health Sector literature is available

on topics such as high employee turnover, few articles inves-tigate and attempt to address the root causes of this problem and none in a holistic manner.

Keywordsq Staff turnover, Public Health Sector, Health Care Facilities,

Health Care Workers, Cause and Effect, Root Cause, Holistic Solutions.

RESEARCH DAY