By Sikhulile Dlamini
MBABANE – The Ministry of Health wants to hire 400 workers in order to address the current gaps in the health sector.
This is an urgent need, which has been made by several factors within the Ministry of Health. The factors include the retirement of existing staff, the migration of healthcare workers abroad in search of better opportunities, and the unfortunate loss of employees due to death.
Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula emphasised the urgency of addressing these challenges to ensure the effective functioning of the health sector and improve the quality of healthcare services in the country.
Matsebula said this yesterday (Wednesday, August 21, 2024) when he met the Parliament Portfolio Committee on the Ministry of Health, as he provided an update on the Ministry’s progress.
Minister Matsebula revealed that the current workforce in the Ministry of Health stands at 7 000 employees, which is below the required number of 20 000. This is the news that might surely come as good news to those who are looking for employment, especially those that have aspirations of being health practitioners.
The adequacy of health practitioners in the country can probably help Eswatini to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Number 3 (SDG 3), which states that all people should have achieved good health and well-being by 2030.
Goal 3, according to UNICEF, aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all, at all ages. Health and well-being are important at every stage of one’s life, starting from the beginning. This goal addresses all major health priorities: reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health; communicable and non-communicable diseases; universal health coverage; and access for all to safe, effective, quality and affordable medicines and vaccines.
