Africa-Press – Eswatini. The Minister of Health, Mduduzi Matsebula, kept his promise and has provided medication to the patient who begged him for help.
Not only has the minister provided medication but he supplied him with groceries to last him for a month.
The minister’s intervention was described as a breakthrough to Mfundo Nxumalo’s life and the family was immensely grateful for the help they had received.
Matsebula, who was represented when the medication and groceries were delivered yesterday, said Nxumalo had a right to live and they would make sure that he walks, plays and runs again.
He also promised that Nxumalo would be taken to specialists who would ensure that he walks, no matter which country, be it India or South Africa.
The minister explained that once they receive Nxumalo’s medical records, they would work on the matter so that he was able to live his life again.
He came to Nxumalo’s rescue, providing him with a month’s supply of Rifampicin 150, used to treat several types of mycobacterial infections including mycobacterium avian complex, leprosy, and in combination with other antibacterial to treat latent.
This was after Nxumalo begged the minister to assist with the medication, which he said was not available in the country and had been to a number of health facilities, both private and public, but could not helped.
He appealed to the minister during his familiarisation tour of the Mbabane Government Hospital, accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister, Thuli Dladla on Thursday.
Nxumalo from Ezulwini was involved in a car accident, which left him with serious injuries on his legs last year.
Nxumalo said for the past two months he had been pillar to post without getting assistance as the medication he needed was not available in all major health facilities, including private ones.
His plea came as the country was faced with an acute shortage of drugs, which spans several years back and recently saw admitted patients leave their wards to stage a blockade at the hospital main gate demanding to be treated and availability of medication.
The minister when called later yesterday confirmed extending help to Nxumalo and promised to always assist whenever there was a need saying they were used to providing help to people in their constituencies on daily basis when they had something.
“Helping people is what we do on daily basis. We follow stories of people requesting help both on social media and newspapers,” Matsebula said.
He explained that in some instances they would not be seen providing the help in public but would do so when there was a need.
The minister further stated that by helping individuals, it did not mean that the ministry was shifting focus from solving the health crisis.
He assured the nation that both the ministry and government were working towards solving the health crisis so that every person could benefit.
Meanwhile, Nxumalo said after the accident, he had been in and out of the local health facilities seeking help.
He said local doctors did provide help to their capacity but he was unable to utilise other facilities outside the country because of financial constraints.
Nxumalo, who was at the right place at the right time when the minister conducted the tour, said the challenges he faced, including the shortage of medication in the country, made him accept that he would never walk properly ever again.
He explained that recently his foot had complications and he did not have access to the required medication, thus the plea to the minister for assistance.
He thanked the minister for his kind gesture, saying he did not anticipate a quick response.
“I do not know what to say to the minister because I had accepted my fate. I did not know what to do next as I have no money for all the medical expenses needed. All I can say is thank you minister for assisting a person who is a nobody,” Nxumalo said.
Furthermore, Bonsile Yende who is Nxumalo’s half sister shared the same sentiments, saying she had accepted that her brother would never walk properly again.
Yende said after the accident, everything came to a standstill as she had to provide for her brother and his family, as he was unable to go to work.
She thanked the minister for his assistance, saying his promise brought hope to the family and assurance that her brother would walk again.
“I want to say thank you to the minister and to all the people involved in helping my brother,” Yende said.
During the tour, Matsebula said there was a lot that needed to be done within the health sector and acknowledged that there were many challenges, which include the shortage of medication but they had taken some steps to address these.
He said they were working hard to come to with sound strategies to the challenges and were hopeful that the nation people would soon see change.
“We want to ensure that we provide an effective working environment so that Emaswati can see change,” Matsebula said.
He further said they were looking at other quick ways to address the drug shortages while also waiting for all the challenges to be addressed and urged the nation to be patient while they address the situation.
The minister mentioned that the ministry was working collaboratively with government and took the matter seriously, giving it the attention it deserved.
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