Saving lives since 1990

The Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund, a public enterprise that has been in operation since 1990, is responsible for developing, promoting and putting crash- and injury-prevention strategies into action.

According to the MVA Fund Act No.10 of 2007, the fund aspires to uphold a high level of customer centricity by offering aid and benefits to all individuals injured and the dependents of those killed in motor vehicle crashes.

Vision and goals

One of the fund’s main goals is to reduce the impact of car crashes on the lives of road users by devising strategies for accident and injury prevention with key stakeholders. The fund further strives to become financially sustainable to assist all persons affected by road crashes,

‘supporting your journey to independence’.

This vision defines the MVA Fund’s role in supporting injured people, or dependents of persons injured or killed in car accidents, to participate in the community economically and socially. The vision requires the MVA Fund to ensure that claimants are empowered to take ownership of their journey to recovery and independent living.

‘Enhance customer experience through tailored services and empower them to return to a meaningful life.’

This mission describes the MVA Fund’s aim to tailor its services to meet its customers’ needs, whether they are road users or people affected by road crashes. For injured people, the aim is to empower them to return to meaningful life.

Currently, the fund employs 182 staff members working at the Windhoek head office and across the eight branches located throughout the country. The key principles and values of the MVA Fund include: Passion, excellence, teamwork and integrity.

The performance-driven culture of the company is guided by these values. Their core values set forth the intended attitudes and conduct that all employees are expected to display at all times.

To oversee the institution’s work, a board of directors was constituted in 2001. The MVA Fund was founded as an agency in the directorate of administration within the ministry of finance in 1990. Since then, it has been turned into a full-fledged state-owned enterprise operationalised by Act No. 10 of 2007. The fund offers payments to people injured in car accidents as well as to the dependents of people killed in these crashes. It gives the following benefits to persons killed or injured:

1. Injury grant up to N$100 000,

2. Loss of support limited up to N$100 000 per annum,

3. Loss of income up to N$100 000 per annum

4. Funeral grant up to N$7 000

5. Medical benefits limited to N$1.5 million.

History

The fund has made substantial progress toward achieving its board-authorised strategic objectives. Several students were financed by the MVA Fund at the University of Namibia (Unam) in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiotherapy and occupational therapy), which was formed in support of the fund's mission.

In addition, 119 individuals have received treatment since the spinalis unit's founding by the fund was established in the ministry of health and social services.

Additionally, client satisfaction has been rising drastically, it said, adding that it also works to modify the homes of people who have suffered major injuries in car accidents so that they can resume fulfilling lives.

Previously, the fund co-founded the emergency medical department at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), where it gave the seed funding for its establishment. To date, NUST has produced 29 graduates from the programme.

The fund introduced a specialisation programme where it invests in supporting local doctors in various specialised medical fields such as a neurosurgery, maxillofacial surgery, paediatrics, etc. To date, six specialised doctors have graduated from this programme - among them the first trained neurosurgeon produced by the MVA Fund.

The fund’s policies and processes provide an equal opportunity to both female and male employees to fully participate in all the organisation’s programmes and activities. In addition, it has an affirmative action plan that prioritises the recruitment of people from designated groups, and this plan is also applicable to internal promotion.

The fund’s service offering is unique in that clients do not have the luxury to knock at other doors when they have faced the unfortunate effects of a motor vehicle crash. “Therefore, we carry the burden to ensure that when they come into contact with us, this burden is alleviated and we strive to bring them as close as possible to their pre-crash condition. Hence, we prioritise and strive to deliver superior customer experience,” Surihe Gaomas-Guchu, the fund’s chief of corporate affairs, said.

Coupled with this goal is the fund’s belief that its greatest asset is its human capital, hence being rated by employees as ‘Best Company to Work For’ since 2011.

The MVA Fund has also won various awards among other public enterprises.

“The fund’s employees position the customer as the key - if not their priority above others - and the services provided to customers should always exceed expectations,” Gaomas-Guchu said.

The fund comprises of five business units:

- Corporate affairs;

- Human capital and strategy;

- Operations;

- Legal services; and

- Finance.