Times Of Swaziland: MPS, SENATORS IN FACT-FINDING MISSION, MAKE ...SHOCKING DISCOVERY IN  9 HEALTH FACILITIES

MPS, SENATORS IN FACT-FINDING MISSION, MAKE ...SHOCKING DISCOVERY IN  9 HEALTH
FACILITIES
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Nonduduzo Kunene on 18/09/2024 16:06:00


LOBAMBA – Parliamentarians’ visit to health facilities revealed devastating
situations in local clinics and hospitals.
The visits were aimed at getting first-hand information about the situation on
the ground. The parliamentarians found, during the visits, that some health
facilities’ structures are falling apart, vital liquids are contaminated,
shortage of medication and medical supplies, shortage of equipment and
ambulances, expired medication, unavailability of service rooms and staff
shortages. This is contained in reports of the health facilities tour that were
tabled in the House of Assembly and Senate on Monday. Members of the Health
portfolio committees from both Houses of Parliament visited nine selected public
health facilities that include hospitals, health centres as well as clinics, in
all four regions of the country.
Tabled
The report was tabled by the Chairperson of the Health Portfolio Committee in
the House of Assembly, Somntongo Member of Parliament (MP) Sandile Nxumalo and
Senate Chairperson Princess Ntfombiyenkhosi. The objectives of the tour was to
assess health facilities in the four physiographic regions - Hhohho, Shiselweni,
Manzini and Lubombo. The report stipulates flagship achievements, challenges and
proposals as witnessed in the respective health facilities, with interventions
from the parliamentarians. The chairpersons of the portfolio committees said the
tours were aimed at informing motions and oral questions, which would be moved
by the parliamentarians about the sector.
The common challenge that the parliamentarians found in the nine facilities was
the shortage of medical drugs and supplies. Among the drugs that were not found
in the facilities are long-term family planning commodities as well as vaccines.
The shortages were common in all clinics visited by the parliamentarians,
including Luyengo Clinic, Mankayane Government Hospital, Raleigh Fitkin Memorial
(RFM) Hospital, Pigg’s Peak Government Hospital and Mkhuzweni Health Centre.
At RFM, the MPs and senators found that the shortage of medical drugs and
supplies affected the very sick patients and chronic patients the most.
Matsanjeni Health Centre and Hlatikhulu Government Hospital, in the Shiselweni
Region, also registered a lack of necessary medical equipment and
inconsistencies in receiving pharmaceuticals.
Another common challenge in all the visited facilities was expired medical drugs
that were taking over storage spaces. According to the parliamentarians’
report, most of the expired drugs were delivered with less than six months of
shelf life. “Luyengo Clinic’s pharmacy had run out of drugs and accumulated
a huge stock of expired drugs due to delays in the delivery of drugs. The clinic
is also using a syndrome approach for sexually transmitted infections (STI)
diagnosis and treatment for STIs is not available in clinics.”
Shortages
Further, the legislators uncovered huge staff shortages in the facilities that
were toured. Some of the shortages in the clinics were caused by delays in
hiring staff, while hospitals such as the Mbabane, Hlatikhulu and Pigg’s Peak
government hospitals as well as Mkhuzweni Health Centre, were caused by nurses
who leave in search of greener pastures. Further, a significant concern was the
lack of laboratory technicians at Lubombo Referral Hospital in the Lubombo
Region. “The staffing shortage hinders the lab’s ability to operate at full
capacity. The laboratory also lacks a versatile testing machine capable of
performing a wide range of tests,” reads the report.
Another issue is the unavailability of vehicles, such as ambulances. Pigg’s
Peak Government Hospital, in particular, was found without an operational
ambulance, and a staff kombi is used for emergencies.At Mankayane Government
Hospital, the committee uncovered that, in terms of transport, the struggle is
worse as there is only one donated vehicle, which is long due for service and
maintenance, and is unroadworthy.  “The two available ambulances are
non-operational.” As interventions, the parliamentarians assured that the
health portfolio committees would table a motion to address the gaps that need
to be filled in the health sector. Parliament will further intervene in intense
oversight of the budget and allocation cycle of the Ministry of Health.