It is very unfortunate to note that as we conclude the year, we haven’t seen any meaningful improvement and/or political will to address the current health crisis except for consistent visits to the Government hospitals by Cabinet Ministers and lately, Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini.
Well, according to the ‘political dictionary’, the conduct of the Cabinet Ministers and/or Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini is literally “playing into the political gallery”.
Perhaps one would ask; what does the phrase “playing into the political galley mean?”.
It is basically used to describe the conduct of a politician who does things that he/she thinks will be popular among many the people instead of doing what is right.
But a hospital is not a restaurant or an entertainment hangout place, it is a place with an atmosphere of sadness where almost every hour, someone will be crying hysterically, after losing a relative.
It is a place of pain where, tears consistently flow from the faces of both the patients and their relatives who had come to provide emotional and spiritual support.
In situations like this, patients and their relatives normally develop some hope upon seeing a doctor, a nurse and other health workers visiting their ward or walking within the corridors with some medication.
But unfortunately, in this country the health system has been deliberately destroyed by corruption, maladministration and/or a culture of impunity where powerful and politically connected individuals “loot State resources” including millions allocated for the purchasing of drugs without fear of being held accountable.
Now, instead of being visited by doctors, nurses and other health professionals within their wards and receive the best medical treatment, emaSwati are now consistently visited by Cabinet Ministers including Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, these are mere politicians destroying our hospitals by colluding with corrupt individuals in looting State resources.
PM Russell Dlamini is not a medical doctor and therefore, his basic responsibility in this regard is to, among others, release the money to purchase drugs in public hospitals.
A deceiving smile from an alleged corrupt and arrogant Prime Minister cannot save the lives of the dozens of emaSwati in those painful hospital beds but,the provision of basic equipment and payment of decent salaries for doctors, nurses and other health professionals will,in my view, bring hope to the patients.
Our hospitals have been turned into a “death zone” where Cabinet Ministers and even a Prime Minister would visit patients, smile at them before they die.
We have seen consistent visits by Cabinet Ministers to the various hospitals but unfortunately, those visit did not produce or yield positive results,
Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla and PM Russell Mmiso Dlamini “is among the Cabinet Ministers who visited our hospitals just for a photo shoot.
It’s a shame to note that, during his visit at the Mbabane Government Hospital and other health facilities this week, Prime Minister Russell Mmiso blasted the staff within the Ministry of Health including Principal Secretary(PS) Khanyakwezwe Mabuza, Russell, he did this knowing very well that “he is the one frustrating the Ministry of Health with his corrupt and politically connected syndicate”.
We know the causes of the health crisis and we cannot be diverted by the Prime Minister who on the other hand, protects SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff, the alleged corrupt thief who rendered our hospitals a death zone.
In conclusion, let me state categorically that, patients want drugs in public hospitals, well-paid doctors, nurses and other health professionals not deceiving smiles from corrupt politicians.
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini during the tour of Government Hospitals(pic: Gov).