MANZINI:Kidney failure patients at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial(RFM) might die in numbers as the hospital is operating without a kidney failure dialysis machinery.
Eswatini has about 70% of the population living below the poverty and therefore, struggling to afford private hospitals or quality health-care amid the degenerating health crisis triggered by, among others, rampant corruption in public administration.
Dialysis is a type of treatment that helps the body remove extra fluid and waste products from the blood when the kidneys become disfunctional.
Kidney failure patients who contacted this publication said, the situation suggests that,they are waiting to die as there are no hopes that the health crisis might be addressed soon.
“We are dying a painful death, every week I’m expected to do dialysis but there’s no equipment now, when we go to Mbabane, they told us to go to RFM, it’s painful”, said the patient.
Reached for comments on Monday evening, Mayibongwe Masangwane,the Secretary General(SG) of the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union(SWADNU) first asked to consult with colleagues at RFM hospital to verify what happened,he said he wasn’t aware of the situation about the disfunctional dialysis machinery.
Masangwane subsequently confirmed to this Swaziland News after verification that indeed, the hospital was operating without a dialysis or kidney machinery.
“I’ve confirmed and discovered that it’s true. The information I received suggests that it’s been a long time since the hospital operated without the dialysis machinery, patients were previously reffered to Mbabane Government Hospital but seemingly, there’s now a problem with Mbabane in exchanging the working equipment.So yes, there’s no dialysis machine at RFM Hospital”,said the Nurses Union Secretary General(SG).
A questionnaire was sent to Khanya Mabuza,the Principal Secretary(PS) in the Ministry of Health, however, he had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
Eswatini is in the midst of a health crisis amid looting and/or rampant corruption within the Ministry of Health,the Funduzi Forensic Services report exposed how SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff and other suppliers allegedly looted over R1billion public funds resulting to the health crisis.
A kidney machine(pic: internet).