MBABANE – Government has lost E89 million through emergency procurement.
This is according to Deputy Speaker in the House of Assembly and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairperson Madala Mhlanga. He said due to the procurement of drugs through emergency processes, some medicines were purchased at double or even triple the normal cost.
Mhlanga was speaking during the adoption of the Eswatini Medical Supplies Agency Bill of 2025 in the House of Assembly yesterday. He submitted that costs incurred at a loss due to drugs procurement issues were immense, including how most suppliers cancel orders because government fails to pay them on time.
“This financial year, E89 million was lost by government due to emergency procurement rather than the normal route,” said the deputy speaker.
Emergency procurement is the process of quickly acquiring goods and services in response to an urgent, unforeseen event, such as a natural disaster, critical infrastructure failure or a public health crisis.
He added that the country had E54 million worth of expired drugs at the Central Medical Stores (CMS) during this financial year, which cost government E21 million to destroy. Furthermore, he revealed that the country lost E14 million from cancelled orders and E89 million through emergency procurement losses.
Meanwhile, Nkhaba Member of Parliament (MP) Hope Shiba supported the adoption of the Bill, noting that as long as system changes targeted suppliers who could meet targets and timelines, the situation could improve.
Mangcongco MP Lomalanga Dlamini said she hoped that the mandate of the Bill would be enforced once it was enacted. Minister for Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo stated that, in working closely with the Ministry of Health, it had become clear that the legislation being debated would be key to resolving the country’s drug procurement challenges.
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Deputy Speaker in the House of Assembly Madala Mhlanga next to Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo in Parliament yesterday. (Pic: Khulile Thwala)