BY THEMBA ZWANE
LOBAMBA – Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula has dismissed claims that Eswatini’s health sector is collapsing, insisting instead that the country’s healthcare system is steadily improving.
The minister made the remarks in Parliament on Monday afternoon during the tabling of reports and debate on the adoption of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report, where he defended the performance of the Ministry of Health while committing to address concerns raised by the committee.
“I must emphasise that the health sector is improving. It is not true that there is a health crisis in Eswatini or that the health sector is collapsing,” said Matsebula.
While defending the state of healthcare in the country, the minister welcomed the PAC report and acknowledged that many of the committee’s findings and recommendations related to his ministry.
“As the Ministry of Health, we thank the PAC for its report. We will continue working towards addressing the existing queries highlighted in the report,” he said.
He said the ministry would work to resolve the concerns identified by the committee and closely monitor the implementation of its recommendations.
Matsebula also supported the committee’s focus on emergency procurement, warning that weaknesses in the emergency tender system could be exploited by unscrupulous suppliers.
“We applaud the report for highlighting the issue of emergency tenders. We urge that the process be closely monitored because there is a possibility of unfair competition practices in the award of tenders,” he said.
The minister explained that some companies deliberately submit unrealistically low bids to secure contracts. When they fail to deliver, they later reappear during emergency procurement processes.
“Hence, the entity awarded the tender fails to supply the required product or service because the price it submitted is lower than the actual cost. It then re-emerges during the emergency tender process,” he said.
He encouraged suppliers to honour contracts awarded through the normal procurement process instead of waiting for emergency tenders, adding that the matter requires closer scrutiny.
On community health volunteers, Matsebula revealed that Cabinet had approved an increase in their monthly allowance from E350 to E500.
“We hope they are paid,” he said.
He further disclosed that the ministry was working towards establishing a dedicated budget line for the programme, noting that the payments currently fall outside the ministry’s direct control.
“The ministry is working flat out to establish a budget line for this item because it is currently not under the ministry, and we therefore have no direct control over it,” he said.
The minister added that the ministry hopes to increase the monthly allowance for community health volunteers to around E700 in the future.
Despite the challenges highlighted in the PAC report, Matsebula maintained that the Ministry of Health remains committed to strengthening healthcare services, implementing the committee’s recommendations and improving the country’s healthcare system.
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