Times Of Swaziland: DON’T COMMERCIALISE HEALTHCARE, HELP TLC

DON’T COMMERCIALISE HEALTHCARE, HELP TLC
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Mfanukhona Nkambule on 18/02/2024 15:18:00


Without health, a person does not have the ability to enjoy what life has to
offer.
Research has shown that an unhealthy society or where the healthcare is
crumbling, expensive or unaffordable, the nation is unable to prosper and
realise its dream for success and development. Healthcare is understood, as a
matter of fact, to be referring to the system in which people are treated, how
it is provided and how the individuals receive it. There is no quality or stable
health without healthcare. Eswatini is a youthful population, meaning the future
of the country is in the hands of the young people. We need to protect them with
a sound and quality healthcare. The United Nations in Eswatini points to the
fact that youth unemployment is estimated at 58.2 per cent in the country and
poverty levels are high, with income distribution skewed.
The social sector is poorly resourced with a poor health system faced with an
increasing disease burden as well as diminishing quality and relevance of
education. What we may consider as quality health services is afforded by
members of the middle and high class, which form a minority of the 1.3 million
people living in the kingdom. Health services provided by private institutions
are so expensive such that SwaziMed, a well resourced medical scheme, opted to
establish its own hospital. That was primarily meant to cut down on costs.
Therefore, the situation on the ground calls for the strengthening of the public
health institutions to provide quality and reliable treatment to patients.
Government should invest in the medical staff, retain doctors and procure
advanced technologies to address emerging challenges. EmaSwati want Mbabane
Government Hospital to be a fully fledged referral institution of high quality.
They want systems strengthened at Mankayane Government Hospital, Pigg’s Peak
Government Hospital, Hlatikulu Government Hospital, RFM Hospital, Mkhuzweni
Health Centre, Nhlangano Health Centre, among others.
speedily addressed
Clinics must not be located far from the people. They should be easily
accessible. The acute shortage of drugs should be speedily addressed and people
responsible for theft of drugs and funds should be sentenced without trial. They
have robbed Heaven. Medical centres like The Luke Commission (TLC) should be
assisted by the government. TLC is a not-for-profit hospital that delivers
mobile health services to over 200 000 patients on an annual basis. It serves as
a centre of excellence for digital solutions and compassionate medicine. I have
learnt that it has a team of 700 local staff. This is incredible feat. What more
would you want from them? They are offering health services to emaSwati free of
charge. EmaSwati, through their government, should technically and financially
support TLC.
It would be immoral and irresponsible of us to collapse a system that is working
for us. It is the responsibility of the government to provide healthcare.
Therefore, if an institution like TLC reduces the burden for government to treat
200 000 people on an annual basis, logic would always dictate that this hospital
needs financial assistance. I agree with His Majesty the King that TLC should be
assisted. Anybody who blocks this assistance through evil machinations should be
disowned by the society and his or her ancestors. God must enlighten the
individual or individuals who do not see sense in providing subvention to TLC.
Officially opening the First Session of the 12th Parliament, His Majesty the
King said the kingdom’s national goal is for every liSwati to have access to
quality healthcare ‘as and when they need it’. His Majesty said emaSwati
needed without financial or service difficulty. “This is line with the
people’s call at Sibaya to improve service delivery,” the King said.
The head of State mentioned that the country needed people who are healthy,
productive and have high life expectancies. While celebrating declining HIV/AIDS
infections and deaths, the King urged emaSwati to reduce new infections so that
the country could remain on course for yet another milestone – to end AIDS as
a public health threat by 2030. Ingwenyama said the country’s ultimate goal
was to strengthen its health sector and provide specialised medical care
locally. He then urged government to expedite the commencement of the process of
mobilising resources for the construction of the referral hospital as promised
by the friends of the kingdom. He issued a directive from the Throne: “This
should be done in the next financial year.” Underline this super directive
from Ingwenyama: “No liSwati should die from lack of proper health
services.”
profits
Writing for Santa Clara University, Claire Andre and Manuel Velasquez made a
moving presentation on a ‘healthy bottom line – profits or people?’ They
began with a sad story of a private hospital which turned away a woman in labour
because its computer showed that she did not have insurance. Hours later, her
baby was born dead in a county hospital. In San Bernardino, they said a hospital
surgeon sent a patient who had been stabbed in the heart to a county medical
centre after examining him and declaring his condition stable. Claire and Manuel
mentioned that the patient arrived at the county medical centre moribund,
suffered a cardiac arrest and died. They were concerned that these two hospitals
shifted the patients to county facilities not for medical reasons, but for
economic ones the receiving hospitals feared they would not be paid for treating
the patient. In fact, these patients simply were not good business. This is
really touching. I pray that Eswatini does not become a country that allows
unhealthy competition and greed in the health services. As a matter of
principle, venturing into the health sector to make a profit is too immoral. You
want sick people to make a good business for you. Gosh!
Claire and Manuel continued to elaborate that a concern for ‘good business’
had moved to the heart of healthcare, a sector once relatively insulated from
the pursuit of profit that drives the rest of the USA economy. Read this:
“Throughout our history, medical institutions have largely been
‘charitable’, non-profit establishments existing primarily to serve the
community.” That is The Luke Commission of today and Eswatini is lucky to have
them. There is a concern in the US that the number of for-profit healthcare
facilities, ranging from national hospital chains affiliated with major academic
institutions to local dialysis centres have grown at a rate exceeding even that
of the computer industry. The ethical implications of the growing
commercialisation of healthcare have become a matter of heated controversy.
Those favouring the trend toward healthcare for profit claim that an increased
role for entrepreneurs and competition in the delivery of healthcare will result
in a more efficient and effective healthcare system.
For others, the pursuit of profit is antithetical to the values central to
medicine. It has been learnt that opposing the commercialisation of healthcare
are those who base their arguments on considerations of justice. They argue that
a good society like Eswatini with a manageable population has a moral obligation
to meet the basic needs of all of its citizens and rightly articulated by His
Majesty King Mswati III. Pacific Prime claims that despite significant
international aid, the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini fails to adequately
fund the health sector. It says primary healthcare is relatively free in
Eswatini but its poor quality doesn’t meet the needs of the people.
injustice
It is estimated that 41.7 per cent of citizens opt to pay for private
healthcare. I am not quite sure about the authenticity of this data. I would
have done injustice if I conclude my article without mentioning Sustainable
Development Goal Number Three which emphasises on good health and well-being.
Some of the UN’s targets on Eswatini healthcare are as follows -
* By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100
000 live births.
* By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years of
age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low
as 12 per 1 000 live births and under five mortality to at least as low as 25
per 1 000 live births.
* By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected
tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other
communicable diseases.
* By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable
diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and
well-being.
* Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic
drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.
* By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic
accidents.
* By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare
services, including for family planning, information and education, and the
integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.
All these programmes, including the services provided by TLC need our utmost and
honest support.