EMASWATI SHOULD BE GETTING TO E1BN IN 3YRS

MBABANE - Running The Luke Commission (TLC), a vital healthcare provider in Eswatini, does not come cheap. This is because in three years, the facility has incurred total expenses amounting to close to E1 billion. The exact figure, which is for the years 2021, 2022 and 2023, stands at E989 018 172. This information has been sourced from annual audited financial statements which the facility has made available on its website. The audited financial statements state that expenses are reported when incurred and reported on the functional basis on the combined statement of activities.

Accordingly, it is stated, certain costs such as salaries and benefits and depreciations have been allocated among the functional categories on the basis of specific identification and estimates of time spent and benefits derived. For the year ended December 2021, the audited financial statements reflect that TLC had expenses amounting to U$16 147 557, which is approximately E306 803 583. The expenses were for items such as medical and clothing supplies, salaries and benefits, supplies, equipment and maintenance, professional fees and IT plus miscellaneous.

For the year ended December 2022, the amount for expenses stood at about US$14 850 823, which is approximately E282 165 637 while for the year ended December 2023 the expenses amounted to E400 048 952. On its website, TLC describes itself as a faith-based health services provider in Eswatini, dedicated to delivering compassionate, comprehensive healthcare to the most underserved and isolated populations.  Established in 2005, TLC has grown into a pivotal healthcare provider in the country, addressing critical health challenges through a combination of inpatient, outpatient, critical care, casualty, surgical care and outreach services, including specialty surgical care.

TLC’s mission is to deliver compassionate, comprehensive healthcare to the most isolated and underserved populations, in collaboration with the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini, local communities, corporate, and non-profit partners.  The organisation’s vision is to end the isolation of underserved communities to quality healthcare. As TLC has innovated and evolved to deliver high quality comprehensive health services, patient volume has grown to over 1 000 patients daily, increasingly stretching its financial and operational resources.

TLC’s previous funding model, heavily reliant on external donors, has been described as not sustainable, given the scale of patients increasingly seeking comprehensive healthcare.
TLC’s financial strain is exacerbated by its national role in receiving referrals from all over the country when medications, commodities, or expertise otherwise inhibit other facilities from providing services. Particularly during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, TLC was, in good faith, the primary critical care provider for severe and critical COVID-19 cases in Eswatini yet it received limited resources from the Ministry of Health to support the volume of patients.

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