TLC AND THE SENATOR

It is becoming increasingly clear that the former health minister and now Senator Lizzie Nkosi has an issue with TLC, which goes back to her time as the minister of health. Her increasingly isolated personal agenda, according to recent credible reports, is the voice piece for a ‘cartel’ of known high-ranking politicians and less-than-ethical businessmen, solely motivated by financial greed to the detriment of the health of the nation. The former health minister was seemingly driven by her irrational desire to see TLC fail in its heartfelt desire to offer a quality health service at no cost to its tens of thousands of VIPs (Very Important Patients). 

An NGO that would have preferred to have remained under the radar and worked in partnership with the former health minister to further serve the nation as a beacon of hope for all emaSwati, who have benefitted so much from the quality of medical care provided by TLC. A patient-focused NGO that until recently has consistently decided to maintain a dignified silence and to focus its energies and resources on the health needs of all isolated and underserved liSwati through free, comprehensive, and compassionate healthcare. But it now finds itself in an impossible position.

Reports

TLC never allowed itself to be distracted by the inaccurate reports and sometimes malicious rumours circulating, particularly during the height of the COVID pandemic, which always seemed to lead back to the one common source within the Ministry of Health. That position has clearly changed, with TLC’s Director of Communications Lindani Sifundza now more willing to go on the offensive to respond to the serious allegations made by the former health minister, which culminated in her factually inaccurate interview with a local newspaper in 2024. 

The former minister may also recall her decision not to accept the invitation to appear before the parliamentary subcommittee established by the House of Assembly, which would have provided her with every opportunity to discuss in more depth her concerns with regard to the disbursement of the E30 million subvention.

A former health minister who, during her time in office, preferred to prop up a dysfunctional and outdated health care model and to take all the credit for the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite having to heavily rely on TLC’s access to life-saving oxygen, which TLC was also more than happy to make available to both government and other faith-based hospitals in-country, with only very limited financial support received from the former health minister. 

It cannot be disputed that TLC provided critical support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which the former health minister has always found it impossible to publicly acknowledge. Preferring instead to offer her support to other suppliers of commercial oxygen with their headquarters not in-country and who continue to charge premium rates. Which may raise questions in the current climate of ‘zero tolerance’ towards corruption with the possible existence of a ‘cartel’ in the supply chain.

Support

Two years after being given the seal of approval by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the former health minister sought to suggest that TLC’s commercial oxygen plant does not meet ISO international standards and other regulatory requirements. Perhaps she would be kind enough to provide statistical proof of the number of deaths at TLC during her time in office due to the provision of an oxygen supply of questionable quality?

Having received the blessing of His Majesty, I am totally at a loss to understand the former health minister’s desire to now make life as challenging as possible for TLC. As evidenced by the former minister’s own less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of TLC at the official opening in June 2023, she consciously chose instead in her own speech to make no direct reference to TLC’s visible support of the nation’s crumbling healthcare system. 

The former health minister would also do well to remember that access to a high-quality healthcare system is a high-profile topic at the People’s Parliament (Sibaya). As His Majesty King Mswati III rightly stated at the time, nobody is perfect, but so many opportunities were missed by the former health minister to engage with like-minded organisations such as TLC, who for some curious reason she has always viewed as a threat rather than an opportunity. 

So many opportunities were missed to take health care to another level in Eswatini and to contribute significantly to His Majesty’s vision of a first-class health service for all ordinary emaSwati. So many opportunities to establish a workable Public Private Partnership (PPP) with TLC to ensure a sustained service delivery, rather than a government seemingly intent on taking ownership of TLC. In case the senator missed the memo, TLC is not for sale. 

A timely and welcome reminder of the breadth of medical expertise that the caring and compassionate faith-based TLC can bring to any discussion on health. And the opportunity for a more enlightened minister of health to now build a more meaningful, harmonious partnership with like-minded organisations such as TLC. Something which the former health minister was always very reluctant to do, preferring instead to publicly distance herself from the critical role played by TLC in the healthcare of the nation.

Modern medicine is very dependent on innovation and the use of technology to increase efficiency and control costs. TLC established the country’s first-ever medical drone network, which will make it much easier to deliver life-saving medical supplies to the isolated rural communities in Eswatini. 

TLC has also introduced the best-in-class LUVELO digital system and communications platform to ensure robust drug procurement controls are in place, resulting in complete transparency and full accountability and the eradication of corruption and unnecessary wastage on expired drugs. A system that has the built-in technology to comfortably take the procurement role of the mismanaged Central Medical Stores (CMS) to a whole new level, without the need to reach out to other countries for a solution.

My respectful and humble, impassioned plea to the former health minister is to finally bury the hatchet and to recognise what can be achieved by a collaborative approach based on mutual trust and transparency with other like-minded stakeholders. All motivated by the same shared desire of delivering a sustainable quality of health care to every underserved LiSwati. So they too can enjoy a better quality of life and, in so doing, contribute to the socio-economic development of the nation.

MCD

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