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DOCTORS JOIN UMBUTFO DEFENCE FORCE

21/07/2019 00:16:00 BY MFANUKHONA NKAMBULE

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mfanukhona@times.co.sz

MBABANE – Career change! It may sound peculiar but some registered and qualified medical doctors have joined the army.

Two doctors who worked for government at the Mbabane Government Hospital successfully completed their military training and passed-out last year.
Besides the two medical practitioners, the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) has nine soldiers enrolled in institutions of higher learning abroad for extensive courses in medicine.

The Times SUNDAY has established that the Ministry of National Defence and Security wanted government to consider a capital budget for the construction of a fully-fledged army hospital.

The proposed project is attributed to the large number of patients, mainly civilians, coming to the army’s military health facilities for medical attention.
A doctor on government’s employ is salaried at E36 653 per month, excluding on-call allowances. It was not ascertained how much a medical practitioner earns in the army as salaries for soldiers are not included in the Establishment Register.

The army has a budget of E1.2 billion. From this budget, a sum of E997 million is for personal costs. It has E2.6 million for purchasing drugs and mediciation. Andreas Mathabela, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of National Defence and Security, confirmed in an interview that they were recruiting professionals to join the army.

REGISTERED PRACTITIONERS

“I am talking about registered medical practitioners who were working in Mbabane. We have recruited them,” explained the principal secretary.
He said the time had come for them to develop the army to be a professional disciplined force. Mathabela pointed out that army doctors would not just serve soldiers but the entire nation as Phocweni Army Clinic, for instance, was open to members of the public.

Other army clinics are Mbutfu in Lavumisa, Nsingizini, Mbangweni garrison and Gcina. Phocweni Clinic has been rehabilitated and improved to offer dental and eye medical services. It also offers VMMC (voluntary medical male circumcision).

It has also been learnt that a ward for patients is being constructed there.
He pointed out that they wanted to have their own doctors because they might upgrade the clinic to either a health centre or hospital. Sibusiso Lushaba, the Secretary General of the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), said they were aware of doctors and nurses joining the army. He said he was not quite sure what actually motivated them to become soldiers but assumed they did so to practice their profession in a military environment. Pertaining to perks at the army, he was not certain about benefits associated with practising medicine and nursing in a military setup.

“They might have resolved to join the army on the basis of their ambition for career progression,” he said.
“We actually don’t know their ranks in the army to ascertain their pay.”

After joining the army, he said the nurses wrote letters requesting SWADNU to cancel their membership.
“We would have loved to keep them as members but they write letters of intent to cancel membership. This they do after they have been employed by the army,” he explained. Lizzie Nkosi, the Minister of Health, said government did not consider it a loss when its doctors joined the army because they (doctors) would still be serving the nation but rather in a military environment.

The minister said armies all over the world had their own medical staff who understood their processes and operations. “Soldiers train a lot, and get injured. It’s vital they have soldiers who are doctors who understand how they train, and what might have caused them to get injured,” the minister elucidated.

According to the Ministry of National Defence and Security’s First Quarter Performance Report for the financial year 2019/2020, UEDF would continue to fulfil its obligations of supporting the military personnel by ensuring that soldiers were a healthy and productive force ready to perform in any terrain.

It must be said that the issue of doctors joining the army is not contained in the report. However, the document states that the physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing of a soldier is of paramount importance to the security of the country. According to the ministry, it is, therefore, imperative to have a comprehensible health care system to achieve operational goals and objectives.

It is mentioned that the army’s health care is provided by a highly specialised medical team, which comprises of doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, and radiographers, pharmacists, counsellors and paramedics.

“The healthcare is not only providing its services to the military personnel but also extends its services to civilians coming to the facility,” reads the report. “The medical health team works tirelessly in meeting the demand of ever flowing clients coming from all walks of life to seek medical attention.”

The Ministry of National Defence and Security further highlighted that UEDF owed its success to the financial and technical assistance of the United States Department of Defence (USDOD) and other international partners.

“The revival of the USDOD partnership has made it possible to engage the University Research Company as an implementing partner to guide and assist in the running of the HIV/AIDS programme,” the ministry stated.
On the other hand, it is mentioned that the Ministry of Health continued to offer guidance in the area of standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).