The Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (ESPPRA) has called for an urgent meeting with the Ministry of Health and pharmaceutical suppliers, citing serious concerns about integrity and efficiency in the procurement of medical supplies.
This follows the regulator’s decision to suspend health tenders worth nearly E1 billion within just two weeks, an unprecedented development in the country’s health supply chain.
| Eswatini Observer WhatsApp Channel
At the same time, ESPPRA has invoked emergency provisions under the Procurement Act to allow the ministry to secure essential medicines and consumables to prevent hospitals from running out of stock.
Billion-emalangeni tenders frozen
ESPPRA ordered the Ministry of Health to halt Tenders No. 104 and 105 of the 2025/26 financial year, covering the supply of drugs, ICU and renal equipment, blood transfusion commodities, and laboratory supplies. Together, the two tenders are estimated to be worth more than E570 million.
This directive came just a fortnight after ESPPRA froze Tender No. 1, valued at over E400 million, following a formal objection by an unsuccessful bidder.
With these tenders halted, close to E1 billion worth of contracts vital to public hospitals are currently under review.
A senior official close to the process said the regulator has been inundated with complaints from local suppliers, triggering successive suspensions.
“The sheer volume of objections is highly unusual in health procurement. It has created a situation where ESPPRA cannot simply ignore the complaints but must examine them thoroughly,” the official said.
Regulator calls for dialogue
Faced with this deadlock, ESPPRA has proposed a high-level meeting this week, bringing together ministry leadership and major suppliers.
According to insiders, the regulator wants the talks to address recurring bottlenecks, improve transparency, and restore trust in procurement.
“The idea is to establish a common understanding of what is going wrong and how it can be corrected. There is a recognition that the current situation is unsustainable, especially when the health system is already under strain,” one insider explained.
Although the Ministry of Health asked that the meeting be shifted to another day due to a scheduling clash, sources say it has committed to holding the dialogue, even preceding it with a brainstorming session with suppliers.
Balancing fairness with urgent needs
Ministry of Health PS Khanya Mabuza confirmed that ESPPRA had already authorised the ministry to use deviation provisions to procure urgent supplies.
“The deviation mechanism ensures hospitals are not left without critical supplies while disputes are being resolved, and we are grateful to the regulator. We also hope that going forward, things will be improved and the supply chain issues dealt with so the entire process is more transparent and efficient,” he said.
At the heart of ESPPRA’s concerns, according to insiders, are governance issues in awarding high-value tenders, with allegations of unfair treatment of local suppliers and irregular participation of foreign firms.
“These complaints have forced ESPPRA to ask for all documents relating to Tenders 1 and 2, which are bulky and require time to review. Until that review is complete, the agency is reluctant to let other tenders proceed,” said one procurement source.
“This has never happened before. To see a billion emalangeni worth of health tenders frozen back-to-back is extraordinary, and it speaks to deeper governance challenges,” they added.
Procurement law and patient risk
Even as it tightened scrutiny, ESPPRA acknowledged the risk to patients caused by delays, and therefore permitted emergency procurement under the Procurement Act, which allows urgent contracting in the public interest before reviews are completed.
Ministry insiders said the regulator’s call for dialogue reflects the balancing act it faces:
-
Ensuring fairness, transparency and accountability
-
Preventing bureaucratic delays from endangering lives
ESPPRA Chief Executive Officer Vusi Matsebula confirmed that a meeting with the Ministry of Health and suppliers had been scheduled. However, he declined to discuss the agenda or procurement deviations, citing confidentiality, and referred this reporter to the ministry’s principal secretary.
Eswatini Observer Press Reader | View Here
