While Mbabane Government Hospital staff resorted to staging sit-ins and holding meetings to address operational challenges resulting in the neglect of patients, the Ministry of Health insists that hospitals must be accessible regardless.
Patients began to be neglected on Monday as staff engaged in lengthy meetings to seek solutions to the shortage of medical supplies and drugs engulfing the facility, amongst numerous other challenges.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health Khanya Mabuza emphasized that no one, not even the minister, had the authority to deprive patients of medical assistance. He said hospitals were essential services that needed to be accessible at all times.
In this regard, he acknowledged that the Ministry was aware of the challenges faced by healthcare workers at the Mbabane Government Hospital. However, he said the facility needs to be kept open and patients must be attended to despite the ongoing issues.
He clarified that it was better for patients to be seen by nurses and doctors and then be given the available drugs, or have unavailable medications prescribed for later, rather than closing facilities altogether.
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Mabuza said this during a press conference where he clarified that the Ministry was doing all it could to salvage the health sector. He noted that the Ministry had received about three petitions from healthcare workers highlighting the same issues, shortages of drugs, medical supplies, and human resources.
Regarding drugs, Mabuza said the Ministry had made an emergency procurement with the support of the Ministry of Finance. He noted that there had been instances where suppliers were engaged to procure drugs, only for them to deliver part of the order, or cancel it altogether. This, he explained, created the need to procure certain medications through the emergency process.
“We are working on this, and we believe that the situation will improve,” he said.
Further, the PS stated that in a bid to ensure quality customer service, the Ministry would enable members of the public to register grievances about services received or not received at hospitals.
“By next week, patients will be able to register their grievances at all hospital administrators’ offices about not being afforded the services they need, including prescribed medications,” said Mabuza.
This, he said, would enable the Ministry to monitor patterns of drug distribution and shortages in hospitals.
On another note, Mabuza appealed for patience from both healthcare workers and the public, citing the shortage of human resources in hospitals. He reiterated that the Ministry had about 419 vacancies, leaving the available workers exhausted from working overtime.
“To address this issue, the Ministry of Public Service has given us the go-ahead to fill these vacancies,” he said, adding that even if drugs were available, their effect would be limited if there weren’t enough staff to work in the hospitals.
The PS expressed his appreciation for the diligent service of healthcare workers amid the crisis in the health sector. He said the Ministry had engaged workers’ unions such as the National Public Services and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) and the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) to gain insight on how the human resource issue could be addressed.
Further, Mabuza assured the public that to ensure that procured drugs reach the end user, patients, a pharmaceutical information dashboard that enhances visibility and allows the Ministry to actively monitor the distribution of drugs has been established.
The PS said this system, which is currently being piloted in five hospitals, will enable the Ministry to track drug shortages effectively. “We are working with the police to investigate some pharmacies to ensure that government drugs are not stolen,” he said.
He emphasized that all these efforts were aimed at improving the country’s health sector.
