MBABANE- The Minister for Health, Mduduzi Matsebula, has acknowledged that while there has been a lot of improvements, there are still some gaps facing the country’s public healthcare system.
He made this admission after personally queueing as a patient at the Mbabane Government Hospital yesterday morning. The minister admitted experiencing both strengths and gaps in service delivery.
The minister said his visit was part of his practice of using public health facilities to better understand the realities faced by both patients and healthcare workers on a daily basis.
He said the experience gave him a clearer picture of the resilience of the system, as well as the operational challenges that still need urgent attention. “I also use government health facilities, so I went there as a patient today,” Matsebula said.
“Let me say that the Mbabane Government Hospital has excellent doctors and nurses, and yes, I got all the medicine prescribed.”
He, however, noted that despite receiving prescribed medication, he was referred to a private facility for a laboratory test, which he said highlighted gaps in laboratory capacity within the public health system.
“It was just one test that I had to go and do in a private facility, which talks to gaps and shortages in our laboratories that we need to attend to soonest because our goal is to avoid out-of-pocket expenses for emaSwati,” he said.
Matsebula added that his experience cemented the importance of strengthening public health services to reduce financial pressure on citizens. He said relying on public facilities allows him to better understand system strengths and weaknesses, while also giving him insight into what patients experience.
He further explained that using government health facilities helps him to understand the strengths, weaknesses and resilience of the couontry’s healthcare system and to experience, even if partially, what other patients go through on a daily basis.
The minister said he observed dedication among staff and appreciated efforts to maintain cleanliness at the facility, despite what he described as challenges affecting some structures within the hospital environment.
“I would like to thank the hospital management and staff for keeping the facility clean despite that other structures within the facility are in a deplorable state,” he said, adding that these challenges are being addressed amid competing priorities and limited resources.
He also commended health workers for maintaining what he described as a customer-centred environment, saying their commitment to service delivery remains evident despite human resource and operational constraints.
Matsebula said engaging with both staff and patients during his visit helped him to better understand existing gaps that must be addressed to improve service delivery and working conditions in public health facilities.
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