Swazi Media Commentary: Prince Kekela

Showing posts with label Prince Kekela. Show all posts

Thursday, 4 January 2018

SWAZI HOSPITALS ‘RUN OUT OF VACCINES’

Health facilities in Swaziland have reportedly run out of vaccines against polio and tuberculosis in the latest in a long-running shortage of medicines in the kingdom, due to non-payment of bills by the government.

New-born babies have been put at risk, according to a media report.

The Observer on Saturday reported (30 October 2017) the crisis surfaced in September 2017 when some health facilities ran out of the drugs. The newspaper said now Swaziland’s busiest hospital the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial in Manzini had been without the vaccines for the whole of December.

The shortage of medicines is rife in Swaziland where King Mswati III rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. The Swazi Government that is not elected but hand-picked by the King has failed to pay bills of drug suppliers.

The Government continues to maintain there is no shortage, but reports on the ground suggest otherwise.

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.

As ordinary people died the Prime Minister Barnabas 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.

Dlamini celebrated his 75^th birthday in 2017. The Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, reported (5 June 2017), ‘The Prime Minister said he was grateful that when Their Majesties were informed about his ailment in April, they responded hastily and ordered that he be taken to the best doctors in Taiwan, Taipei.

‘“Their Majesties gave orders that I go to the best and well experienced doctors in Taiwan. I am now looking forward to turning 76 years and I thank God for keeping me safe,” he said.’

The nature of his illness has not been publicly revealed.

King Mswati lives a lavish lifestyle with at least 13 palaces, a private jet aircraft with another due to arrive in 2018, and fleets of top-of-the-range BMW and Mercedes cars. Meanwhile seven in ten of his 1.2 million subjects live in abject poverty with incomes of less than US$2 per day.

Wednesday, 27 September 2017

NURSES STRIKE OVER DRUG SHORTAGES

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.

Wednesday, 14 June 2017

SWAZILAND MEDICINE SHORTAGE: FIVE DIE

At least five people have died as a result of the shortage of medicines gripping Swaziland, a Swazi senator has reported.

Senator Prince Kekela told parliament that the five people he knew about were related to him.

Kekela called on the Swazi Government to spend more money on stocking the kingdom’s hospitals with medicines instead of applying to Kuwait for a loan of E20.1 million (US$1.56 million) to build a new referral hospital.

Swaziland which is ruled by King Mswati III sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch has been in the grip of a crisis for a number of weeks. About US$18 million was reportedly owed to drug companies last month (May 2017) and they suspended delivery of medicines until bills were paid.

The Times of Swaziland reported at that time the House of Assembly, ‘called for the suspension of all other projects while this matter was being sorted, wondering what benefit would be achieved if the country had beautiful roads or buildings yet had a dying nation’.

The Times of Swaziland reported on Thursday (8 June 2017), ‘The prince’s observation was that Swaziland was not ready for the construction of a referral hospital but instead it should be using the loan on stocking medication, which reached crisis state a couple of months ago.’

As ordinary people die in the health crisis the Prime Minister Barnabas 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.

Dlamini recently celebrated his 75^th birthday. The Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, reported (5 June 2017), ‘The Prime Minister said he was grateful that when Their Majesties were informed about his ailment in April, they responded hastily and ordered that he be taken to the best doctors in Taiwan, Taipei.