Medical

MBABANE – Prime Minister (PM) Russell Dlamini convened a meeting with medical suppliers in a move calculated to end the decade old health crisis and iron out procurement concerns.

The highlight of the meeting, held at Private and Cabinet, was that the PM stressed zero tolerance to corruption, urging suppliers to report any unethical practices to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) or law enforcement.

The meeting follows serious concerns raised by suppliers on the proposed procurement of medical supplies worth about E1 billion.

A statement by the Acting Government Spokesperson, Thabile Mdluli, said the aim of the meeting was to understand and appreciate the challenges that health suppliers face as they work with government and to also update them on government’s strategic direction and on addressing the challenges currently being faced by the country’s health sector. 

Present at the meeting were suppliers and service providers, including those specialising in pharmaceuticals, medicinal supplies, medical equipment, catering and security. “The prime minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to working with health suppliers in building a world-class health system that delivers quality care to all emaSwati. He emphasised the need for innovation, efficiency and accountability in transforming the country’s health sector.

“He outlined Government’s Programme of Action under the ‘nkwe’ mandate, which aims to shift the health system from being reactive to proactive, focusing on prevention, first-class infrastructure and technology-driven solutions,” Mdluli said.

She said the PM highlighted ongoing reforms, including maintaining the procurement system, restructuring the Central Medical Stores into a parastatal and leveraging electronic health management systems to improve transparency.

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Prime Minister Russell (R) Dlamini with government officials when he met with the medical suppliers. (Pic: Courtesy)