MPS REJECT MINISTER’S HEALTH CRISIS UPDATE

LOBAMBA – Members of Parliament (MPs) were not swayed by an update on the health crisis, which was presented by Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi.

The minister delivered a statement, which was to provide an update from the tabled report, as a response to Private Members Motion Number 4 of 2023. The motion was moved by Siphocosini MP Mduduzi Matsebula who sought to get a report from the minister on measures the ministry undertook to resolve the health crisis facing the country. “The report should pay particular attention to the following: shortage of human resources and equipment in public clinics and hospitals; shortage of medical supplies in public clinics and hospitals; shortage of linen and bedding in public hospitals; shortage of transport and; fuel and the creation of a contingency reserve of medical supplies of strategic importance,” reads the motion.

On the issue of shortage of medical supplies in public clinics and hospitals, the minister highlighted that there had been many issues raised and both the public and Parliament were concerned. The minister shared that they had positive changes in the past few weeks as the ministry looked at the gaps in medical supply with Cabinet, which approved expediting processes to procure commodities. She stated that the normative procurement process took three to seven months and, to deal with the current situation, emergency procurement was being utilised. Nkosi highlighted that the ministry returned to the tender board and requested that they be allowed to purchase as an emergency and the tender board had given them a short window to procure the most urgent medicines.

procurement

“This procurement started on June 23, 2023; the ministry had a meeting with suppliers and from June 26, 2023 deliveries had begun to come into the tertiary facilities to Mbabane Government Hospital, RFM, Nhlangano Health Centre, Mankayane Government Hospital, Hlatikhulu Government Hospital, Matsanjeni Health Centre, Manzini Psychiatric Centre and Pigg’s Peak Hospital. On the normative regions’ deliveries, Shiselweni and Lubombo were covered on June 26-30, 2023 with Hhohho and Manzini regions to be covered this week,” she said. However, her update was met with resistance from the MPs, who felt that what she was saying was not helping the current situation in any way.
Hhukwini MP Nkhanyeti Ngwenya pointed out that the minister’s update was missing specific timelines on what was currently being done to alleviate the situation in public hospitals and clinics because there was absolutely no medication. “The specific timelines will give people the comfort that the ministry is doing something to help the situation at our hospitals,” he asserted.

Lomahasha MP Ndumiso Masimula minced no words when he submitted that the minister was not doing enough to sell the idea that indeed the ministry was working around the clock to change the health crisis faced by the country. “The minister should present to us something that will match the level of the crisis that we are witnessing in our hospitals currently. The update she is delivering does not hold any water for me,” he said. KuMethula MP Derrick Masuku enquired from the minister if there was any way that government could speed up the procurement of the medication, because this was not just any procurement but one that involved saving lives. Masuku submitted that the three to seven weeks that the minister was talking about in her update report were too long for a country that was losing people at an alarming rate, due to the shortage of medication. Hhohho Region MP Nokunceda Bujela shared that in the 55 years of independence, the country has never experienced a health crisis of such magnitude, as has been the case during the 11th Parliament. She said it was clear that the ministry had failed the country. “There is a very big problem that the Cabinet is probably not telling us,” she said.

Deliveries

The minister clarified that the three months she was referring to was the period that the ministry had been given to help the situation and she mentioned that deliveries were ongoing as stock was coming in. “The ministry continues to work with suppliers to source key missing commodities that are delivered at the Central Medical Stores (CMS), recorded, and distributed to health facilities,” she stated. The minister shared, in her update, that the tender board approved that for items that the supplier did not have in stock, the ministry could request a quotation so that emergency procurement could be done to obtain these critical medicines. “Additionally, the ministry is happy to report that funds to procure drugs for this year have been released and the ministry is working on procuring medicines for this year through the normative procurement processes. Drugs for this year will be procured earlier and we anticipate that the new government will find drugs and avoid the stock-outs that we faced,” she submitted.

To echo the minister on the seriousness that the Cabinet was giving to this issue, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg shared that Cabinet had selected a task team of ministers who would look into the progress of the matter. On the shortage of human resources and equipment in public clinics and hospitals, the minister stated that to address critical shortages, government approved the ministry to hire 100 healthcare workers comprising 31 doctors and other cadres including nurses, pharmacists and others. She said that the approval helped the ministry to address some of the most critical needs as the Ministry of Public Service and Civil Services Commission collaborated on what other teams were required to do so in health to fill the rest of the shortages.  “Finally, the Mbabane Government Hospital’s new wing is being fully operationalised, the process has started,” she submitted.

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