BY NOXOLO DLAMINI
PIGG’S PEAK – Patients in Northern Hhohho will no longer have to travel as far for ultrasound diagnostic services following the donation of an ultrasound machine to Piggs Peak Government Hospital by Lomati Mine.
The donation comes as the Ministry of Health intensifies efforts to decentralise diagnostic services, bringing specialised equipment beyond referral hospitals and closer to communities.
Minister of Health Honourable Mduduzi Matsebula said the donation would benefit patients in Northern Hhohho and was in line with the Ministry’s strategic objective of strengthening diagnostic services in health facilities.
“The generosity act by Lomati Mine will benefit patients in Northern Hhohho and aligns with the Ministry of Health’s strategic objective of strengthening diagnostic services in health facilities,” said Matsebula.
The Minister said the Ministry’s strengthening efforts had already produced positive results, particularly through the expansion of ultrasound scanning services to regional hospitals and health centres.
He said the health sector was also modernising X-ray services by moving from analogue to digital equipment, while decentralising the modern machines to regional hospitals and health centres.
For Piggs Peak Government Hospital, the new ultrasound machine addresses a longstanding gap in diagnostic services.
Senior Medical Officer Sukoluhle Simelane said the hospital had gone for years without an ultrasound machine, forcing patients who required the service to travel to Mbabane or pay private healthcare providers for diagnosis.
The machine is therefore expected to improve access to ultrasound services for patients in the Northern Hhohho area while supporting healthcare workers with diagnostic equipment closer to where patients receive care.
Lomati Mine Manager Maqhawe Nxumalo said the mine initially acquired the machine for use at Ntfonjeni Clinic, which serves as the primary healthcare facility for the mine’s workers.
However, following engagement with the Ministry of Health, the mine established that the machine could not be used to its full capacity at Ntfonjeni Clinic. Piggs Peak Government Hospital was subsequently identified as a facility where the equipment could serve a broader patient population.
The handover therefore reflects a collaboration between the private sector and government health services, while contributing to the broader effort to make diagnostic services more accessible to communities.
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