Nurses in Swaziland intend
to strike in protest against the shortage of drugs in the kingdom.
They will march the streets
of the capital Mbabane on Friday (29 September 2017) to deliver a petition to
the Swazi Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini.
Swaziland Democratic Nurses
Union (SWADNU) President Bheki Mamba said there were also a number of other grievances
and health workers felt the government was ignoring them.
The Sunday Observer newspaper in Swaziland reported (24 September 2017)
there were shortages of drugs for a range of illnesses and conditions including
epilepsy, hypertension, diabetes, ulcers and treatments for HIV positive people.
It added, ‘Not only have
the hospitals and clinics run out of drugs, they also do not have of alcohols
and spirits used in disinfecting apparatus, bandages and gloves as supplies
have also hit an all-time low.’
The Ministry of Health
denied there were shortages.
The shortage of drugs has
been ongoing in Swaziland for years. The government which is handpicked by King
Mswati III, who rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch,
often fails to pay its bills to suppliers.
In June 2017, Swazi Senator
Prince Kekela told parliament that at least five people had died as a result of
the shortage of medicines in Swaziland.
At the time it was reported
that about US$18 million was owed to drug companies in May 2017 and they had suspended
delivery of medicines until bills were paid.
As ordinary people died in
the health crisis Prime Minister Dlamini revealed that King Mswati and his
mother paid for him to travel to Taiwan for his own medical treatment. Dlamini was not elected PM by the people of
Swaziland. He was personally appointed by the King, as were all other
government ministers and top judges in the kingdom. None of Swaziland’s
senators are elected by the people.
In 2014, at least 44 children died and many hundreds
were hospitalised during an outbreak of diarrhoea.
The Ministry of Health said it could not afford readily-available drugs. Then,
the Government spent US$1.7 million on top of the range BMW cars for itself.
About 680,000
doses of life-saving rotavirus vaccine
could have been purchased for the cost of the 20 new BMW X5 sports utility vehicles, which would be enough
to treat every child in the kingdom. The
cars were for government ministers and top officials.
The purchase was one of
many example of irresponsible spending in the kingdom.
In March 2014, US$600,000
was spent on the opening
ceremony for the
Sikhuphe Airport which was renamed King Mswati III Airport. The airport has
been widely criticised outside of Swaziland as a vanity project for the King.
See also
DRUG SHORTAGE CRISIS DEEPENS
SWAZI
GOVT ‘KILLING ITS OWN PEOPLE’
KINGDOM
BOTTOM IN WORLD HEALTH RANKING
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