Nurses have warned that the continued non-delivery of supplies under the E25 million emergency single source tender, is exposing patients to serious risks as hospitals brace for the annual festive-season surge in trauma cases.
Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) Secretary General Mayibongwe Masangane said the absence of theatre consumables listed under the emergency procurement has left health workers increasingly anxious, particularly as December is traditionally marked by a surge in road accidents, alcohol-related injuries and violent incidents requiring urgent surgical intervention.
The warning follows that no festive-season stock had been delivered more than a month after the single-source emergency tender was approved with the ministry of health justifying it at the time as necessary to avert imminent shortages during the holiday period.
The E25 million contract was awarded on November 5, as a single-source emergency procurement, with the ministry arguing that tight timelines and festive-season factory shutdowns made conventional tendering impractical.
However, more than four weeks later, the sole supplier, Pride Oasis, confirmed that it had not yet delivered any stock.
“We are alarmed by these developments because these supplies are very much needed during this period. This is the time when we see an increase in road traffic accidents, and when substance abuse leads to a higher number of assaults and fights. Those cases require immediate theatre intervention, and theatre consumables are central to that response,” Masangane said, further emphasising that the concern was grounded in the realities of festive-season caseloads.
The emergency tender covered a wide range of routine, but indispensable items, including surgical blades, sutures, abdominal swabs, sterile surgical gloves, Foley catheters, abdominal drainage tubes, Guedel airways, oxygen masks, nasal prongs, mucous extractors and intercostal drains.
RELATED | E25m emergency tender: No festive season stock delivered
“These are not optional items. They are used daily in emergency and theatre settings, and during the festive season their consumption increases significantly,” he stated.
While procurement disputes are often viewed as administrative or regulatory matters, nurses said the consequences of non-delivery were felt directly at ward and theatre level.
“When these items are unavailable, it affects how quickly and safely patients can be treated. Delays in surgery, improvisation, or having to ration basic consumables all increase risk, especially in emergency situations,” he said, adding that the situation was made worse by what the union described as declining communication from the ministry.
“In the past, the ministry would at least try to inform us when certain supplies were running low or not available. As the broader drugs crisis has worsened, those updates have stopped. That is frustrating, because health workers on the ground need to know what to expect in order to plan and prioritise care,” he complained.
Pride Oasis Director Sumoy Ghosh confirmed that no deliveries had been made to date, but declined to explain the reasons for the delay or clarify whether the items were still being sourced saying he could not comment further at this stage.
Insiders within the procurement system claimed this undermined the core rationale of emergency purchasing.
“Emergency procurement is supposed to secure items that are already available, not to create an opportunity for a supplier to start sourcing after approval. If stock only begins to move weeks later, then the urgency argument collapses,” said one of the officials.
They added that even under urgent circumstances, procurement law allows for restricted tendering, which requires inviting at least three eligible suppliers, except in rare cases where only one supplier can provide the goods.
The Eswatini Association of Pharmaceutical and Medical Suppliers (EAPMS) escalated the matter to the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ESPPRA), warning that the tender raises serious questions about transparency, fairness and supply security.
In correspondence to ESPPRA Chief Executive Officer Vusi Matsebula, the association argued that while the need for urgent supplies was undisputed, the process leading to the award and the subsequent lack of delivery exposed weaknesses in the system that may ultimately harm patients.
The association asked the regulator to intervene, citing the E25 million tender alongside unresolved procurement concerns and cross-border wholesaling issues.
Many of the items listed under the emergency tender are ordinarily supplied through Tender No. 1 of 2025/2026, which remains under re-evaluation following an Independent Review Committee ruling that found inconsistencies in how bids were assessed.
For nurses, the debate ultimately comes down to patient safety.
“By this time of year, these supplies should already be in our facilities. The fact that they are unavailable, despite an emergency tender being approved, is worrying. It places unnecessary strain on health workers and creates avoidable risks for patients,” Masangane said.
READ MORE | 2 Senators clash over ENPF trip
