MPs divided on E20m roofing for referral hospital

LOBAMBA – While some Members of Parliament (MPs) support the E20 million reserved to rehabilitate the Lubombo Referral Hospital, others hold a different view.

In her preamble of the annual performance report presentation for the financial year 2022/23, Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi revealed that the ministry had set aside funding of E20 million to refurbish the dilapidated roofing at the hospital.

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Manzini Regional MP Busisiwe Mavimbela highlighted that as a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), she had the privilege to go and assess the roofing, among other things, together with the other committee members, and she stated that the E20 million was justified.

“From what we saw at the hospital, the E20 million could even be meagre because the roofing is in a very bad state,” she submitted. She was supported by MP Mfanawemakhosi, who is also a member of the PAC. He stated that the damage to the roofing also had negative effects to the people who were occupying that structure and the damage to be fixed could extend beyond just rehabilitating the roofing but looking into the side effects of it as well.

However, Sithobelweni MP Bhekitje Dlamini held a different view. He said E20 million to rehabilitate roofing was too much for just one hospital and he urged the minister to take them there so that they made their own assessment to motivate for the budget in the House from an informed position.

Ndzingeni MP Lutfo Dlamini wondered if this was not one of the many ways the ministry’s personnel was using to milk money from government, as he also thought the money was a big figure for a roofing.

It should be noted that the roofing referred to in the story is not for the new wing that was recently built at the referral hospital but the old structure. The minister, responding to the concern on the roofing, said they were not refurbishing it but actually redoing the roofing because it was leaking and it was in a bad condition.