ENTER NEW TRANSPARENCY ERA

Sir,

The mission statement of the Ministry of Health states that the ministry seeks to improve the health and social welfare of the people of Eswatini by providing preventative services that are of high quality, relevant, accessible, affordable, equitable and socially acceptable. This statement is supposed to guide the ministry’s officials, but what is happening on the ground has revealed that this is not happening.

The inconsistent supply of medication once resulted in patients having to buy salt to treat wounds. There is not enough space to write instances where patients have been told to buy medication at pharmacies because of a lack of medication in public hospitals. There have been numerous instances that have shown that this crucial public system is not being managed properly. Someone or individuals must be held accountable for the mess that this sector has found itself in.

Some fundamental questions need to be asked, is the public healthcare sector underfunded; are the minister of Health and her senior officials doing the work that should be done to resuscitate the public healthcare sector? Yes, there are challenges, but the continuous excuse of blaming other factors instead of solving the problem, while they could have been valid, is disingenuous and tired. EmaSwati do not need excuses but action to remedy this situation. The current leadership of the public healthcare sector does not seem to have a handle on the crisis and, as such, should be let go as there appears to be no prospect in sight for any improvement of this serious situation.

Needs

The country has to find a way to make sure that the unavailability of medication, food and proper healthcare are a thing of the past. The reality is that the country is in desperate need of a public healthcare system that will match the needs of emaSwati; a public health system that will deliver to those in greatest need in a comprehensive way and on an adequate scale.

Health systems worldwide have to cope with a changing environment, but this is lacking in the country. It would be illogical for the country to continue having the same people who have failed to resuscitate our public healthcare sector. The nation needs individuals it can count on and individuals who will act in the best interest of the people. We’ve listened to their excuses and it’s enough; we’ve allowed error after error thinking that things would change but that is not happening instead the situation is getting worse. We’ve turned a blind eye to their mistakes, with a candid belief that we are just about to turn the proverbial corner. But we’re not.

The leadership of this country should no longer turn a blind eye to the ministry’s weak and ineffectual reaction at the risk of people’s lives. We should enter a new era in transparency and accountability and for this to happen, inaction should not be an option in this case.There are no simple solutions to the country’s public healthcare crisis, but we have once a generation opportunity to begin addressing the crisis now. Failure to act will show government’s disregard for the lives and living of the high percentage of the population of the kingdom trapped in poverty and underdevelopment.

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