Deputy speaker Madala Mhlanga feels there is a deliberate move to collapse the country’s health system, highlighting that the issue should be addressed through a Private Members’ bill because there was no political will in addressing it.
He said this motion was part of the many that were brought to the house year in and year out. Mhlanga was making submissions on a motion moved by Ngudzeni Member of parliament Charles Ndlovu, which directed the minister for health to appraise the House why there was a dire shortage of essential medications within the nation’s health institutions. Ndlovu said Emaswati were, upon visiting government hospitals and clinics, frequently informed that they must procure their medication from private pharmaceuticals companies.
Ndlovu said this practice had not only burdened citizens financially, but also raised serious questions about government’s commitment to providing adequate healthcare services to its citizens. He said the minister’s report should include a detailed timeline showing when all essential medication would be made available in every health centre across the country and information on measures being taken to prevent the recurrence of this issue in the future.
He said the comprehensive report must be tabled within 14 days after the approval and adoption of the motion. Mhlanga, on the other hand, stated that over E3 billion had been spent in the ministry and that MPs had never questioned it while they were getting such performance.
He said there had been audit reports dating back more than 15 years that had collected dust and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reports that were also not actioned. He said this issue was supposed to be addressed by the leader of government business. Mhlanga is also the Chairman of the PAC and Mhlangatane MP.
“The mover stated that there was a task team that was there, but there was nothing that they heard from the task team. There was the issue of The Luke Commission, which is carrying the burden of government and when we tried to address that issue as parliament, there was no political will,” he said.
He said to him, it felt like there was a deliberate move to collapse the health system.
He said this was his personal opinion, stating that this was painful because it was making a mockery of parliament and its structures.
He said there was glaring evidence that was revealing the injustices in the ministry, but those who had to action were doing nothing.
“I can see the frustration, but we will talk forever and nothing will be done. If this motion could be amended and then look at the policies that govern the operations of parliament. We do not have the power and we can only do so much as committees of the house. I have raised it before that the Privileges Act of 1967 currently in use should be amended by an Act that will give us the power when it comes to such issues,” he said.
He said no one had a political wish, but they now had one route, which was using the Private Members’ Bill if they wanted to fix issues in the country. MP Prince Mshengu said there was someone who was playing hide and seek with the issue.
He said the issue had been addressed for the longest time with the king also raising countlessly in his speeches from the throne. He said the money was being spent on the purchase of the medication, but was not being used in hospitals.
“The minister of finance told us that there were rats in the ministry.
“How many times has the minister told us and reached certain percentages about what they have done in hospitals? What will this motion do if we craft it like this? There is an intention to collapse the health sector and we need to reach a time where we put a stop to this,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane said the minister of health was the most vocal person on the issue of drugs before.
He said he had over five motions directed to the ministry and then sought answers on what was happening.
He said they needed a health Indaba where they would tell Cabinet the truth. He said what was happening was very painful because people were dying as they were not getting help in hospitals.
“Even the head of government is silent about the issue.
“We had hoped that we would find a ministerial statement, but there is none despite the protests by the health workers.
Instead, the ministry is going around looking for the same people that we said should be blacklisted as suppliers.
“They will tell us about stock levels, come to think of us having drugs worth E82 million that have to be destroyed and we are renting warehouses for the expired drugs. Why are we wasting the nation’s money?” he said.
Zwane said they should address this when the prime minister was present in the House so that they could ask him if they would be wrong in moving for his demotion from the position.
He asked who the prime minister would blame if he was demoted. He said he was of the view that Cabinet was also seeing the things that were happening at the hospitals.
“Let us not point fingers and focus on what is not killing the nation,” he said.
Acting Minister of Health Apollo Maphalala asked to take the motion and bring back responses within 14 days after the approval and its adoption. However, Matsanjeni South MP Sabelo Ndlangamandla said the issue was of urgency and suggested that the responses be tabled within 48 hours or seven days of passing the motion.
Maphalala said they were anticipating coming back with practical and detailed responses on the issue, which meant that they would need more than 48 hours to come up with responses. The ministry is expected to table the responses within seven days.
