Times Of Swaziland: GOODBYE TO MONENI TB HOSPITAL

GOODBYE TO MONENI TB HOSPITAL
================================================================================
By Bonsile Makhubu on 15/02/2020 00:03:00


MBABANE – These are the last days for the National Tuberculosis Hospital
located at Moneni. Government is currently exploring alternative uses of the
hospital, because it feels the country has achieved the fight against TB to a
stage where this particular hospital is no longer necessary.
Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg yesterday told parliamentarians that due to the
decline in TB incidences as well as prevalence in the country, the National TB
Hospital recorded a low-bed occupancy rate.
“With an existing TB facility in Nhlangano that is big enough to cater for all
of the patients, government is conducting an assessment to determine the
possibility of alternative use of the National TB Hospital to better suit the
needs of the population,” the minister said.
In 2017, the Ministry of Health identified this hospital as a possible centre to
house Ebola patients, in the event there was an outbreak of the disease in the
country.
This was met with resistance from residents from areas around the hospital, who
said they already had exposure to a serious and highly-infectious disease in TB
and wanted no other similar disease in the area.
Eswatini once accounted for a significant portion of the 9.4 million new cases
and 1.8 million deaths each year due to TB globally, but interventions that were
rolled out over the years saw an improvement.
Majority
Currently, a majority of patients of drug-resistant TB receive home-based
treatment through the National TB Hospital while others receive treatment in
Mankayane, Matsapha and Nhlangano health facilities.
The minister said the 2020/2021 budget of E24.1 billion, which he tabled
yesterday, would see E2.3 billion being allocated to the Ministry of Health.
This is 10.5 per cent of the total national budget.
He said part of this would cater for other programmes and activities towards the
fight against HIV/AIDS which were being successfully implemented.
One of these is the procurement of ARVs which will take up E274 million.
He pointed out that these programmes had greatly assisted in the reduction of
HIV incidences from 2.9 per cent in 2011 to 1.4 per cent in 2019.
“This means that fewer people are getting infected with HIV. This success has
been achieved due to government and partners’ investments in these programmes.
We would like to give a special thanks to PEPFAR, the Global Fund, the Republic
of China (Taiwan) and the UN Agencies for their support.”
Recognition
Other listed achievements under the health sector include international
recognition for management of the Mass Medicine Administration Programme; the
success in switching vaccines to introduce a vaccine that is administered fewer
times and gives immunisation for life; and the establishment of the Malaria
Fund.