By Staff Reporter
AS news associated with the health sector continues to circulate in the country, Prime Minister Russell Dlamini has stressed the urgent need to restructure the Ministry of Health as part of significant reforms aimed at tackling critical challenges within the government system.
Dlamini shared these plans while addressing the media after returning from Kigali, Rwanda, where he represented His Majesty King Mswati III and the nation at the 2nd African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Business Forum, also known as Biashara Africa.
“What is happening in the health sector is showing that we need to speedily restructure the whole health sector.
It’s not only the health sector alone, it almost the entire government but we need to speedily resolve the health sector,” he said.
His statement follows the report of services being suspended at some facilities due to challenges. After the widely reported halted dialysis and theatre services,
Members of Parliament urged the government to bring a loan Bill to address the entire health crisis and declare the health crisis a disaster.
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The Ministry of Health on Thursday received 15,000 boxes with 3,000 units of smart bags for renal patients at the Mbabane Government Hospital on Thursday.
The quick response followed legislators’ calls that all funds should be diverted to address the crisis in the health system.
The MPs on Wednesday in Parliament noted that despite the E3 billion budget allocated to the Ministry of Health, there were still financial gaps that have to be filled by the budget, dating back 10 years ago.
Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo said there have been several loans that the government has negotiated and approved by Parliament.
The firebrand MP said the entire health system needs a revamp, and a loan could address the challenges.
Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula addressing members of the media after the delivery of the drugs, said the delivered stock will last for a month.
“The Ministry is delighted to say after the disruption of health services at Mbabane Government, which forced us to try and get assistance from some hospitals like Hlathikhulu,
we were able to get our suppliers to deliver a stock that will last for over a month and also stock that will ensure we will not have the same situation again,” the Minister said.
The Minister said on the issue of the CT scan, his ministry has made arrangements with Phalala Fund, seeing that it will take time to fix the broken machine, and the service has been restored and on Thursday, as many as 14 patients were able to get assistance.
“On the theatre issue, we were lucky that some of the missing drugs were available at the Central Medical Stores. We apologize to emaSwati for the disruption of the health services.
We will continue to put more work to ensure the nation is satisfied with health services,” the Minister added.
The Prime Minister emphasized that restructuring the health ministry will serve as the initial step toward overhauling the government system to better align with national and regional priorities.
The Prime Minister stated that it is essential for the country to address the root causes of emerging problems rather than just their symptoms.
“It must not be a situation where we change cars but the road is not in good condition. We must fix the roads and ensure they can move smoothly.
Right now we are still changing the cars which means we need a proper restructuring of the management including how we procure everything,” he said.
The health sector in the country has been in the news over the past few years with numerous complaints including drug shortages.
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The government has been proactive in trying to resolve the challenges. Some of the measures included relooking at the procurement processes and setting up a team to look into the health crisis comprising of various ministers.
Speaking on his trip, Dlamini said Eswatini was among the nations that have signed and ratified the AfCFTA.
“We committed to encouraging our neighbours and other African countries to follow suit.
Additionally, we reaffirmed our dedication to enhancing intra-Africa trade, which currently stands alarmingly low at 15%.
There is an urgent need to restructure the Ministry of Health to tackle the challenges it faces, marking the starting point for a comprehensive government restructuring.”
During the Kigali forum, Dlamini underscored Eswatini’s commitment to fully utilizing the AfCFTA framework, whichaims to establish a single market across the continent by eliminating trade barriers, lowering tariffs, and reducing transportation and logistics costs.
“We agreed on the necessity to further eliminate barriers to intra-Africa trade, including high transportation and logistics costs, as well as certain tariffs.
Therefore, we encourage our youth and the business community in Eswatini to take advantage of the AfCFTA and its vast market potential of approximately 1.4 billion people,” Dlamini stated.
He highlighted that, with proper implementation, the AfCFTA has the capacity to lift over 30 million individuals out of poverty, as projected by the World Bank.
While in Rwanda, Dlamini also paid a courtesy visit to President Paul Kagame, who expressed gratitude to King Mswati III for allowing Eswatini’s participation in the forum.
“The President facilitated a guided tour of some of Rwanda’s key projects, including a 45,000-capacity stadium, a world-class arena, and conference facilities completed in record time,” Dlamini reported.
Additionally, the Prime Minister visited Irembo, a company that assists governments and businesses in developing online services and payment solutions.
“We will encourage our Ministry of ICT to continue collaborating with Rwanda as we pursue our ‘Government in Your Hand’ initiative,” he added, emphasizing the importance of digital transformation in public service delivery.
In his address at Biashara Africa, Dlamini highlighted the transformative potential of the AfCFTA for Africa’s economy, especially in creating jobs, enhancing regional and continental value chains, and increasing value addition in sectors like manufacturing and agriculture.
He reflected on the historical significance of the agreement, tracing its roots back to the aspirations outlined in the Abuja Treaty and the Boosting Intra-African Trade initiative, which led to the signing of the AfCFTA in 2018.
He also connected the AfCFTA to the broader vision of African unity articulated by the continent’s founding fathers in Addis Ababa in 1963 and the objectives of Agenda 2063.
While praising the progress made through the AfCFTA, Dlamini acknowledged that Africa faces considerable challenges in global trade. He noted that the continent accounts for only 3% of global trade, with intra-African trade comprising just 15% of the total. “These are not merely statistics,” Dlamini stated.
“They represent a call to action, underscoring the vast potential our continent possesses.” He urged African leaders to seize this potential by unlocking transformative solutions to promote economic integration.
Eswatini has positioned itself at the forefront of the AfCFTA initiative, having declared its readiness to trade under the framework and joined the Guided Trade Initiative, allowing the kingdom’s traders to actively engage in continental trade activities.
The Prime Minister expressed optimism about the upcoming engagement with the AfCFTA Secretariat in Eswatini, believing it will further enhance the country’s role in advancing the objectives of the trade agreement.
Dlamini concluded by encouraging the youth and business community in Eswatini to explore the opportunities offered by the AfCFTA.
“The AfCFTA presents unprecedented opportunities for Africa’s youth and women. It is crucial that we fully leverage this framework to promote economic growth, create jobs, and improve the well-being of our citizens,” he added.
