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PAC GRILLS HEALTH MINISTRY PS, DEMANDS ANSWERS ON DRUGS

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LOBAMBA – The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has blasted the Ministry of Health for its laid-back attitude on drug-related issues.


The committee was referring to the two shipments of drugs which were detained  at Oshoek Border Gate and at the OR Tambo International Airport recently.


Matsanjeni North Member of Parliament (MP) Phila Buthelezi asked the Principal Secretary Dr Simon Zwane if the drugs belonged to government or not.  


However, before responding to the question, Zwane asked the committee to be specific on what shipment they were referring to because there were so many of these issues going around.


The committee then clarified that it was referring to the E1 million worth of drugs which were found to be obsolete and asked if they had not been stolen from government.


The PS assured the PAC that the drugs were not coming from the government stock, but believed that they were from the private sector.
He said when government has expired stock, they have their own method of destroying them, which was different to the private sector.
“I am not sure who the drugs belonged to, but they were not ours,” said the PS.


He told the PAC that they had a way in which they could make a follow-up to trace who the drugs belonged to.
This response irked the MPs, particularly Nkwene MP Sikhumbuzo Dlamini, who said the ministry was seemingly not bothered that so much drugs coming from Swaziland had been seized.


“That is a very irresponsible statement and if you say they belong to the private sector, who is supposed to monitor them?” asked Dlamini.
“Nami ngiyajabha” added MP Buthelezi, which loosely means that he was also hugely disappointed by the PS’s response.


Buthelezi wanted to know if the PS had even bothered to check where they were coming from and wondered if people who were transporting drugs or medicine did not need clearance from the ministry.


PAC chairperson MP Thuli Dladla said the absolete drugs could have been bought by any Swazi person, which would make them sick. She said no matter what the value of the drugs was as long as they were expired they caused a great danger.


Manzini North MP Jan Sithole said nowadays no drug was valueless in the black market whether it was within its expiry date or not.
“These days our children are driven into taking narcotics such as nyaope because there is no careful handling of these drugs,” said MP Sithole.
MP Dladla said when the PS returned to the House next week he should furnish the committee with proper answers including the E20 million sex pills which were impounded at the OR International Airport. This was after the PS said they had tasked the Chief Pharmacist Fortunate Bhembe to look into the issues, but she was unfortunately not in Parliament.
He said, however, the ministry was these days tasked with registering all who imported or exported drugs into Swaziland following the passing of the Medicines and Related Substances Act.
He assured the committee that when drugs were shipped in or out of the country, there was always a letter of permission from the ministry and he suspected that was why these particular drugs were detained because there was no such authority.

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