BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
LOBAMBA – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has described allegations surrounding The Luke Commission (TLC) as shocking (ashacisa lugogo).
The Prime Minister told Senators that Government is working to establish the truth behind claims involving patient treatment, staff conditions, medication and the use of public funds.
The Prime Minister made the remarks while responding to questions concerning whether TLC should continue receiving Government subventions during the presentation of his office’s first quarter performance report.
He said the situation at the health institution was really bad when assessed against the country’s laws, adding that his office had been approached by former TLC employees who raised serious concerns about what they described as conditions at the institution.
He said Government was now working on the matter and that a committee was expected to investigate the allegations before providing a report that could guide Government’s response.
According to the Prime Minister, former TLC employees had approached his office and reported what he described as horrors allegedly taking place at the institution.
Among the allegations was that patients sometimes arrived at TLC expecting to receive treatment from professional doctors but were allegedly attended to by people without the necessary skills or qualifications.
Dlamini said patients were nevertheless allegedly charged significant amounts for the medical attention they received.
He also told Senators that Government had received an allegation that some patients were being given medication intended for animals rather than people.
Another allegation, according to the Prime Minister, was that some patients were allegedly kept at the institution for longer than medically necessary in order to increase the amount of money charged to them.
Dlamini said Government had also been informed about alleged mistreatment of TLC employees.
He compared the allegations concerning staff treatment to conditions associated with medieval times of slavery, underscoring the seriousness with which his office was treating the claims.
The Prime Minister further raised concerns about the relationship between Government funding and the services being provided by TLC.
He said Government provides the institution with subventions and also supplies it with medication, but had received allegations that medicines supplied by Government were being stored until they expired.
“It is just a lot,” Dlamini told Senators, indicating that the volume and seriousness of the allegations required a proper investigation rather than immediate conclusions.
He said a committee would investigate the issues and submit a report, after which Government would be in a better position to determine what action should be taken.
The controversy surrounding TLC has been building for several months, with Parliament and former employees raising questions about the institution’s finances, patient charges, Government funding and working conditions.
In July, former TLC employees petitioned Parliament, asking for an investigation into what they described as years of unfair labour practices.
The petition was submitted on behalf of former employees and included allegations concerning financial irregularities, possible breaches of health regulations, management of Government subventions and donor funding, as well as patient billing practices.
The parliamentary concerns came shortly after Members of Parliament questioned the Government’s relationship with TLC during consideration of the Ministry of Health’s performance.
MPs had questioned whether Government should continue providing a subvention to an institution where some patients were reportedly paying fees that ordinary Emaswati could struggle to afford.
Parliament approved a E50 million Government subvention for TLC, while legislators also raised questions about the value of medication supplied to the institution through the Central Medical Stores.
The Luke Commission has, however, publicly disputed some of the narratives surrounding its operations.
In a statement issued in May 2026, TLC said it had continued providing clinical, outreach, emergency and specialised healthcare services and had not ceased operations.
The organisation attributed some of its financial and operational difficulties to donor reductions, delayed reimbursements, residual financial pressures from the COVID-19 period and broader healthcare financing challenges.
TLC has also previously defended the value of Government support, stating that it had received E50 million in Government support in the previous fiscal year while delivering care it valued at more than E658 million.
