Ministry of Health labelled a ‘big joke’

LOBAMBA – “The Ministry of Health is a big joke.”

This was the feeling of Members of Parliament (MPs) when decrying what they said was a lack of enthusiasm by the ministry’s officials in dealing with healthcare challenges in the country. The MPs said almost four Parliaments had raised challenges on the deteriorating status of health in the country, but officials working on resolving the challenges had become worse and the very same officials were allegedly stealing from the ministry, thus affecting the entire nation.

All 21 MPs who attended the Ministry of Health annual performance report and annual budget debate lamented the shortage of ambulances, staff, clinics, medication, primary caregivers’ wages and unavailability of maternal rooms in all public health facilities. The MPs said these issues were not getting better, because no one in the ministry seemed to care. For that reason, the MPs concluded that the ministry was ‘a big joke’.

They noted that the government was trying to improve the health budget every year, but it kept falling into the wrong hands. The ministry’s budget was increased by E250 million from the 2023/2024 financial year, which has seen the health budget increase to E3 billion. They said if the issues were not addressed, even the next Sibaya, in about four years from now, would be dominated by health issues and corruption in the sector, just like the last one.

The MPs said if it was up to them, they would be placing the ministry’s budget on Head 60, until the minister fired all the officials who neglected the sector for over a decade. The MPs said they would pass the budget with a heavy heart, because they knew those who swindled the State already had plans on how they would squander this year’s budget.

One of the MPs who spoke strongly was Lobamba MP Michael Masilela.

There were 11 other MPs who raised concerns about the unavailability of ambulances in health facilities across the country. The MPs said their cars had turned into ambulances. Some stated that they turned into midwives as they assisted women to give birth in their cars while rushing them to clinics.

They also decried the absence of maternal rooms in most public health facilities.

Siphofaneni MP Nomalungelo LaZwide Simelane, told the minister that she was constantly travelling between Manzini and Sithobelweni, rushing people to health centres, because Siphofaneni Clinic did not have an ambulance.

Mayiwane MP Sicelo Dlamini said, as they were rushing these pregnant women to health facilities, some of them gave birth along the way. “Some of the women give birth in our cars and we find ourselves assuming the duties of midwives and assisting women to give birth,” he said.

Ludzeludze MP Nomkhosi Masuku said the absence of ambulances endangered their lives and exposed them to hijackers. She shared that a few days ago she got a call from people who pretended to need an ambulance, yet they had evil intentions. Mahlangatja MP Mgucisi Dlamini also shared a touching story of how they found a dead person after five years, because primary healthcare givers were no longer equipped to conduct door-to-door exercises and the proximity to health facilities and the shortage of ambulances contributed.

The MPs also questioned the corruption in the sector. The MPs recalled that the Minister of Health, Mduduzi Matsebula, in his preamble, told the MPs that six officials, who were implicated in the drug shortage scandal were referred to the Civil Service Commission for disciplinary action. The MPs said they did not want disciplinary action but people to be expelled and jailed for killing emaSwati. Sigwe MP David Ngcamphalala said some of the disciplinary action never yielded fruits; instead, people were transferred or suspended with pay.

Ngudzeni MP Charles Ndlovu said he was surprised that some of the invoices for drugs that were not delivered were signed by trusted officials of the ministries of Health and Finance. “So these invoices were signed without any of the officials noticing that something was not adding up? I think the minister needs to clean the entire ministry and have new officials,” he said.

After all the MPs shared the hardship faced by their communities, they said they were not sure whether the health budget needed to be released. Masilela,

said: “This ministry is a big joke.” The MP asked how people could complain about the same issues over and over, without any action from the ministry’s officials.

He said over the years, MPs had been asking for ambulances in health facilities. “At least one ambulance in a central clinic, that could be shared, but nothing is happening. This means we are led by people who do not have ears,” he said

Masilela said the corruption that engulfed the health sector was outstanding, taking into consideration that no one had been arrested. He said: “You want the help of anticorruption in the drug theft issue, what were you doing all these years? It is the ministry that is supposed to have control measures. We are speaking to the same people, begging them to strengthen control measures. The lives of emaSwati are in the hands of these officials. The nurses out there are crying out for medication. You go to health facilities and you are told there is no blood. Health facilities do not have a simple or basic medication and this has been going on for years, hence I am saying this ministry is a big joke.”

The MP said that even if some issues could be sorted out, and culprits arrested, another crop of crooks would rise within the ministry. He said previous Parliaments were complaining about the same health issues. He also highlighted that the issue of increasing the E350 that was offered to bagcugcuteli (health motivators), since 2008, had not been addressed and none of the ministry’s officials was bothered while they spoke of improving prevention and primary healthcare.

Before, the ministry used to have doorto-door health sensitisation exercises to prevent certain diseases, but these disappeared over the years because bagcugcuteli haven’t been equipped. “That is why I am telling you minister, laba lobaholako yi-joke yodvwanje,” he said.

He said even though they felt like not approving the report, they were cornered to pass this one. He assured that they would not pass the next report, if there were no budget allocations for ambulances among other issues. “For today, let us give them the money so they can continue to give it to those who steal it, but next time we will not pass it,” he said.

Masilela said the ministry was among those who took the lion’s share of the budget.