In light of the endless reports about serious challenges in the public health sector that has dragged for months, members of parliament (MP) have called on the ministry of health to declare the health crisis a national disaster.
This, the MPs said, was because the ministry had failed to address the challenges on its own. This recommendation was made MPs serving constituencies in close proximity with the Mankayane Government Hospital.
Staff at the public health facility had reported challenges they face on a daily basis as they open their gates to patients.
According to the healthcare workers, drug shortages and understaffing persist, as such they would be left with no choice, but to downscale services.
Phondo MP Bonginkhosi Dube said the ministry should declare the health crisis that government was grappling with as a national disaster, instead of trying to sort the issue on their own because they had failed.
He said Phondo constituents and others in the neighbouring constituencies asked for an ambulance at Mankayane. They were granted one.
However, he stated that now that there was an ambulance, the facility was no longer operating like it used to be, as it only admitted 20 people a day.
“There are no resources in this facility, and the people are calling us non-stop so that we can help them by either buying medication or transporting them to the hospital. The elderly return home without receiving assistance because they are unable to queue,” he said.
Also Read: Eswatini Today, July 7
Dube added that they had visited the hospital as members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and uncovered how the facility operated.
He said it was a pity that the minister’s statements about the crisis were different to what was happening on the ground.
The MP added that this was no longer a problem that could be solved by the ministry, but the whole nation.
He said the ministry could either ask for funds that would be channelled towards rescuing the health facilities in terms of availing drugs or employing more staff so that the nation could focus on something else.
“We are now bankrupt as MPs because we have to buy people medication and take them to the hospital. They are also blaming us for not addressing the issue while we have the platform in parliament,” he said.
Ngwempisi MP Bhekibandla Vilakati said for months they were alerted of shortage of medication and staff in public facilities.
He added that as much as they were not for the view of downscaling services and patients queuing outside health facilities, government should bring a solution to the health crisis so that the health officials could work.
Vilakati said there were staff shortages at Mankayane because most of the time, patients were attended by assistant nurses. He said this was not fair to the patients, especially because the assistant nurses were also responsible for all the patients in the wards.
“The ministry should take this issue seriously; we want to know why there is still no medication in the health facilities. The Mankayane government hospital is not only attending to patients from that side, but from all over because everyone deserves a chance at healthcare services,” he said.
He added that affording proper services to the people was the most important thing in this case. He said government should take the issue seriously by employing more people so that the staff could rest and seek advice from each other.
“I heard that there was a meeting, I do not know what they agreed on. If they continue with downscaling services, there is nothing that we can do,” he said. Mahlangatsha MP Mgucisi Dlamini said the last time he visited Mankayane Government Hospital, staff had embarked on a go-slow. He said the health officials were taking a limited number of patients into the facility while others remained outside.
Dlamini said the hospital’s operations affected the nation because patients queued outside and returned home without being attended to.
“People have now resorted to not going to the hospital because they do not get any assistance. There is the Sibovu Clinic where some people from Mahlangatsha can go to, but this facility does not offer some of the services available at Mankayane,” he said.
Dlamini said nothing positive was coming from the public health facilities, thus they were waiting for the responses from the prime minister, since the 14-day ultimatum that he was given was coming to an end this week.
The premier is expected to table his responses tomorrow as per the order paper that was issued yesterday.
“Maybe we will get convincing responses from the premier,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gege MP Magesi Dlamini said they discussed health issues before, adding that what would help government now was to build another health facility between Mankayane and Nhlangano so that the population could be split between the two health facilities.
He said there was supposed to be a health facility at Magubheleni that would also relieve the two health facilities. “If there could be a facility at Magubheleni, it would help people from Ngwemphisi, Gege, Mahlangatsha, and Mashobeni. This can also help in averting the drugs shortage challenge because there will be two health facilities to serve the people from these facilities, which means that the medication can last longer,” he said.
Dlamini said government should turn things around because the situation was dire in health facilities.
