We spent E1bn on COVID-19 patients - TLC
MANZINI - The Luke Commission (TLC) says it spent E1 billion market contribution on COVID-19 patient care provided between 2020-2022 if valued at private care rates.
This was stated by TLC’s Director of Operations Mbongeni Tsela in a press release on Monday.
Addressing reports regarding funding and financial compliance, Tsela clarified that TLC did not receive direct financial support from the Eswatini Government for its COVID-19 patient care and vaccination efforts. Despite this, the organisation played a vital role in the nation’s fight against the pandemic, voluntarily offering critical services such as caring for 90 per cent of the nation’s COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) patients and providing direct assistance for vaccination programmes, he noted. He further noted that TLC also developed the vaccination certificate system, issuing certificates for the nation. Tsela stated that TLC’s commitment to addressing the healthcare needs of the Eswatini population extended beyond COVID-19 efforts.
Essential
He revealed that in 2020, the organisation opened a Specialty Care and Surgical Centre, offering a range of essential services such as a full pharmacy, medical laboratory, operating rooms, an emergency unit, vision screening and an X-ray and ultrasound rooms.
With a growing team of over 500 members, he said TLC continued to serve patients from across Eswatini, working closely with partners, including the Eswatini Ministry of Health and United States (US) governmental organisations to implement best practices for comprehensive healthcare.
The Luke Commission has announced that it will no longer be able to provide free oxygen cylinders to health facilities in the country due to the financial strain of operating the oxygen plant at current levels. In a statement released yesterday, TLC stated that it would have to reduce operations to a minimal level to save energy and ongoing maintenance costs. This decision is expected to have a significant impact on the availability of oxygen for patients in need. TLC has partially funded some of the services that will continue, but most are not fully funded at the required scale.
Downsizing
“TLC is still currently serving 14 000 outpatients a month, down from 25 000 outpatients a month in September 2023. Additional downsizing may be required as the number of patients needing services continues to be above our funding levels,” the statement reads.
The organisation emphasised that it remained committed to providing essential healthcare services to the people of Eswatini, but that it must balance this commitment with the need to operate within its means. TLC further called on government and international donors to provide additional funding to support its efforts to provide critical healthcare services to those in need.
“The Luke Commission (TLC) has highlighted that while the contributions received during the COVID-19 pandemic were instrumental in saving numerous lives, they only covered a fraction of the actual operating costs incurred by the organisation,” Tsela highlighted.
He reiterated that between 2020 and 2022, the contributions received did not fully address the significant expenses involved in providing essential care to the emaSwati community.
“During this critical period, TLC received gift-in-kind donations from international donors, which proved vital in safeguarding many lives. However, these donations did not cover crucial operational expenses such as salaries, utilities, insurance, audit fees, maintenance, laboratory commodities, pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, fuel, interest on the oxygen plant and overdraft, among others,” he stated.
To clarify the funding specifically directed towards the oxygen plant, TLC disclosed that the cost of constructing and operating the plant over the past three years exceeded E90 million. TLC confirmed that generous funding totalling nearly E46 million was received from various sources, including Kirsh Foundation, President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), FNB, and other private donors. These contributions enabled TLC to save thousands of lives, according to Tsela.
Interest
To operationalise the plant, he disclosed that TLC obtained loans from FNB amounting to E20 million. Interest payments were covered by an overdraft for three years, resulting in double interest payments in each month. The remaining E24 million required to build and operate the plant, as well as to cover loan payments, continues to draw from TLC’s limited cash reserves. Energy costs associated with the plant’s operation were largely unfunded, leading to a substantial debt with Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC). Tsela disclosed that a payment agreement was established with EEC to prevent electricity disruptions at the Miracle Campus, with E100 000 being paid monthly from the overdraft.