BY GCWALISILE MHLABANE
MANZINI – Manzini Regional Administrator Prince Chief Gija Dlamini has called for stronger collaboration to improve cancer care in Eswatini and reduce the number of emaSwati who have to seek specialised treatment outside the country.
Speaking during the official opening of The Luke Commission (TLC) Manzini Satellite Clinic at The Central Hive on Monday, September 28, 2026, Chief Gija said the country could use TLC’s experience, equipment and partnerships to develop more specialised services locally.
His call comes amid concerns that cancer is increasingly affecting younger people, creating a need for greater cooperation among healthcare practitioners and institutions.
“Maybe working together with the Ministry, in country working together with TLC in combatting things like cancer,” Chief Gija said.
“We are seeing cancer moving at a faster rate now; now it’s affecting even young children.”
He said collaboration could include research and making better use of the expertise and resources available through TLC and its partners.
“Maybe staying together as practitioners, as people who are looking to help, we can use TLC,” he said.
Chief Gija said such cooperation could help reduce the number of patients seeking medical assistance outside Eswatini.
“We can work together and research to bring down the number of people who are seeking medical assistance outside the country,” he said.
“So maybe we can come up with something inside the country.”
Chief Gija was speaking as Manzini welcomed the new TLC facility, which brings the organisation’s services closer to residents in the country’s busiest urban and industrial hub.
He said locating the clinic in Manzini was significant because of the city’s central position and the large number of people who live, work and travel through the area.
“As we know that Manzini is the hub of the country, the Kingdom. And Manzini is the industrial area of the country, where more people, more the workforce, and everyone is living around Manzini,” he said.
Chief Gija said the clinic’s location could therefore benefit residents beyond Manzini because people travelling through the city would also have easier access to its services.
“I believe investing in Manzini for such an establishment as this one will not only benefit the people of Manzini,” he said.
“Manzini is centred at the centre of the country, and a lot of people are passing through Manzini.”
The Regional Administrator also praised TLC for its contribution to healthcare delivery, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and through its drone service, which has been used to deliver critical medication to communities in remote areas.
“We have seen TLC doing some remarkable work as of our darkest hour, the time of COVID-19,” Chief Gija said.
He said TLC’s drone initiative had demonstrated how technology could help overcome geographical barriers in reaching emaSwati.
“We have seen TLC again introducing the drone service, reaching out emakhaya—distant areas—delivering critical medication to our citizens,” he said.
Chief Gija encouraged TLC to consider expanding the use of its drone programme beyond medication deliveries to support broader healthcare services.
“I’d ask that drone services, not to remain in delivering medication, but to continue to deliver total healthcare,” he said.
For Chief Gija, the establishment of the Manzini clinic provides an opportunity not only to bring services closer to residents, but also to deepen cooperation between TLC, government and healthcare practitioners.
His cancer-care proposal places local specialised treatment and research among the areas that could benefit from such collaboration, with the broader objective of helping more emaSwati access advanced care within the country.
The opening of the TLC Manzini Satellite Clinic therefore comes with renewed attention to how partnerships, technology and specialised expertise can be used to strengthen healthcare services and respond to emerging health challenges.
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