The Government is broke and public services across the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, have been run into the ground.
It said, ‘A medical staff
member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that they had on countless
occasions raised the issue of the unfixed machines and that the response they
received was that there was no money.’
It said, ‘It has been
discovered that in most departments several machines are lying idle due to the
fact that they have not been fixed for months after they developed faults.
According to impeccable sources, the most affected department currently is the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU).’
It said, ‘In the past three
weeks, a machine meant to provide ventilation inside the ICU allegedly
developed faults and stopped functioning.
‘The sources said the situation
was so serious such that on some days, doctors were forced to open the door
just so that some fresh air could filter inside.’
The source added, ‘This is
very dangerous to the patients because it puts their lives at risk. The ICU
door has to be kept closed at all times, especially because it is situated
right next to some of the wards where patients with diseases like TB are
accommodated.’
It added fewer than five
beds out of a total of 12 in the ICU were available for patients.
The Times added, “It has been alleged [some patients] end up dying
while waiting for their chance to be accommodated in the few beds.’
A hospital employee told
the Times, ‘We are worried about the
death rate here. With the ICU being compromised, many patients’ lives are at
stake. Government should do something.’
The Times said other departments also had machines such as monitors
that had not been fixed. It added, ‘The reason why
the machines have been lying idle is that the hospital has allegedly struggled
to pay a company responsible for fixing them.’
Director of Health Services
Dr Vusi Magagula acknowledged that they were facing a crisis in the health
sector.
This is one of a long line
of cases. In September 2018 it was reported Mbabane Government Hospital was
unable to feed its patients because it had no money. There
are 500 beds at the hospital.
On 14 September 2018 it was reported at least six
children in Swaziland had died from diarrhoea and many more were
sick because the government was broke and could not pay for vaccines. It would
cost US$6 for the vaccine to immunise a child.
Medicines of all sorts have
run out in public hospitals and health clinics across Swaziland. Nurses
have been protesting to draw attention to the crisis.
In July 2018 it was
reported that Swazipharm, Swaziland’s largest distributor of pharmaceutical
products and medical equipment to the healthcare system in the kingdom,
could not buy new stocks
because the Ministry of Health had not paid its bill. Swazipharm Sales and
Marketing Manager Cindy Stankoczi confirmed it had cut the supply of drugs to
local health institutions.
Long before Swazipharm’s
announcement medicines, including vaccines against polio and tuberculosis had run out in many government hospitals and
clinics because drug suppliers had not been paid. In June 2017, Senator Prince
Kekela told parliament that at least five people had died as a result of the
drug shortages. About US$18
million was reportedly owed
to drug companies in May 2017.
In June 2018 it was
revealed there were only
12 working public ambulances
in the whole of Swaziland to serve 1.1 million people because the government
failed to maintain them. It had bought no new ambulances since 2013.
In his budget
speech in March 2018 Finance
Minister Martin Dlamini said Government owed E3.1bn (US$230 million) in total
to its suppliers for goods and services.
In June 2018 it was reported that children
collapsed with hunger in their school because the government had not
paid for food for them. The kingdom had previously been warned to expect
children to starve because the government had not paid its suppliers
for the food that is distributed free of charge at schools. The shortage was reported
to be widespread across the kingdom.
Meanwhile, King Mswati III
who rules Swaziland as one of the world’s last absolute monarchs wore
a watch
worth US$1.6 million and a suit
beaded with diamonds weighing 6 kg, at his 50th birthday
party in April. Days earlier he took delivery of his second private jet, a A340
Airbus, that after VIP upgrades
reportedly cost US$30 million. He received E15 million (US$1.2
million) in cheques, a
gold dining room suite and a gold
lounge suite among his birthday gifts.
Seven in ten of Swaziland’s
1.1 million population live in abject poverty with incomes less than the
equivalent of US$2 per day. The King has 13 palaces. He also owns
fleets of top-of-the range Mercedes and BMW cars. His family regularly travel
the world on shopping
trips spending millions of dollars each time.
See also
Swaziland nurses picket, drugs run out, lives put
at risk as government fails to pay suppliers
Medicine
shortage: five die
Swazi King parties while children die
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/08/swazi-king-parties-while-children-die.html
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