Times Of Swaziland: LUNCHTIME PICKET OVER SHORTAGE OF DRUGS

LUNCHTIME PICKET OVER SHORTAGE OF DRUGS
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Sithembile Hlatshwayo on 06/10/2022 08:30:00


MBABANE – Frustrated!
This best describes the nurses at the Mbabane Government Hospital, who have
resolved to engage in a lunchtime picket over the shortage of drugs and
supplies. During the picket, the nurses voiced out their disappointment,
following an announcement made by the Minister of Health, Lizzie Nkosi, that
they would be destroying expired drugs worth over E3 million, yet the hospital
did not have drugs. They picketed around the hospital and also visited the
Outpatient Department (OPD), where they informed patients about the status quo.
The health workers resolved to picket until Friday, where they would deliver a
petition to the Ministry of Health.
Expired
Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) Unit Committee Chairperson at the
hospital, Sanele Gwebu, questioned how the drugs could expire while the hospital
did not have medication. Gwebu wondered why the Central Medical Stores (CMS)
kept drugs for so long until they expired. He said they were tired of watching
the ministry destroy drugs while they did not have any medication at the
hospital. He said this showed that the drugs were secretly kept for reasons best
known to the ministry, while patients suffered. Gwebu said as health employees,
they were bothered by patients complaining about the shortage of drugs and
supplies.
The chairperson said the most painful part was that the patients were their
friends, relatives, parents and themselves. He said with the lack of medication
at the facility, which was a referral hospital, by extension they were killing
the patients.  According to Gwebu, they wanted to put an end to the frustration
endured by patients, some of whom travelled long distances for nothing. He said
they had engaged the ministry on several occasions on the issue and it seemed
they were refusing to listen. Gwebu stated that one of the officials at the
ministry told them that they were now used to the protests and pickets, which
was an insult to the healthcare workers. Furthermore, he stated that there was
security threat at the hospital, following that the company that offered the
services downed tools over unpaid salaries for two months. Since Monday, the
hospital has not had security.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Unit Committee, Sandile Mlotsa, told patients
that the working environment at the hospital was no longer conducive as it was
unworkable. Mlotsa stated that drugs and supplies were in shortage and patients
would be given prescriptions to purchase the medication at private pharmacies.
He said most of the medication was expensive at the private pharmacies and cost
between E350 to E500. Mlotsa said they were not amused by the suffering of
patients at the hospital caused by poor administration of the ministry.
Challenges
One of the patients questioned the healthcare workers what the management’s
response was when they were told about the challenges. In response, Mlotsa
stated that the ministry failed to provide them with the necessary drugs and
supplies, but they were shocked to learn that a large amount had expired and was
to be destroyed. “Nothing has expired at this hospital but there is a
shortage.” Mlotsa said there was no diabetes and hypertension medication and
the elderly had to purchase it in private pharmacies, yet they did not have
money. The patients said the government did not care and love emaSwati but was
pushing them to their early death.