OUR HEALTH SECTOR IS IN CRISIS

Sir,

I am not the kind of person that usually makes noise or criticises the government but I am forced to do so when service delivery becomes low and in the end badly affects the lives of the citizens of this country. 

There have been reports recently about how most of the health centres and hospitals were faced with drug shortages and as has been the case in previous years, the nation was assured that the problem was being solved.

The whole country knows that it is not the first time for sick persons to be sent back home because there is no medication. It has been happening for years and those that are responsible are always giving us the same excuse that suppliers have not been paid blah blah blah.
Imagine diabetic patients being told to go elsewhere to get medication because the government hospital has not been able to get its supply.

The truth is that there has been a decline in health services and this impacts directly on the quality of care received by patients.  The inability to provide quality care by healthcare practitioners, including emergency medical treatments makes it look like government does not care about the people in Swaziland.

When there is less health services, patients increasingly suffer preventable associated morbidity and mortality, including stillbirths, not only because of the lack of essential basic services but also because the situation impacts negatively on the training of healthcare practitioners.

The patients who find that there is no medication at the government hospitals do not have a choice but have to find money to purchase it at private pharmacies.
Mind you, some of these patients come from poor backgrounds and do not have the money to buy at the pharmacies. Where do you expect them to go?

Another critical area that needs to be considered is the people that are entrusted with treating these patients and with this I refer to the recent meeting by nurses to discuss the concerns that they have.

Healthcare practitioners find themselves in a quandary as a result of this violation of patients’ rights to access health care by the health system itself. They are required by their codes to regard the health of their patients as of paramount importance.

Since the job is more like a calling, the nurses are expected not only to further the best interests and positive welfare of their patients, but also to advocate for the fulfillment of their patients’ rights in the face of lack of resources.
Government needs to stop singing the same song that the health sector is a priority but must show through actions like paying suppliers on time to ensure that medication is delivered.

There is a need to work on improving the welfare of the nurses and everyone that works in these hospitals because I believe that when staff members are happy then they will do the job perfectly because you cannot expect a nurse who is stressed to treat a patient better.

Mgidvo Dlamini, Siphofaneni

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