Africa-Press – Eswatini. Outspoken businessman and former senator Walter Bennett has questioned government’s intervention in attempting to rescue The Luke Commission, which is in dire financial woes, saying this could be akin to preferential treatment.
The hospital, situated at Sidvokodvo, has been carrying the burden for providing health services for hundreds of thousands of Emaswati following the drugs and medicines shortage in government hospitals. Government, through the ministry of health, has responded to the plea by setting up a committee to raise E60m in two weeks.
Last week Thursday, the Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg told Parliament that government has set aside E30m as part of the rescue mission for the hospital.
However, Bennett, speaking at his offices on Thursday, said this can’t be a cut and dry mission without considering the pitfalls of government’s intervention, saying there would be a lot more to it than just giving out a paycheque to the hospital.
Bennett said it was normal that TLC had run to government asking for funding, however, this should come with clear and specific terms, such as how the money will be used and auditing that institution.
He said it should not be taken lightly that government was going to spend taxpayers’ money on TLC while all the other institutions were also struggling financially.
funding
“Who does not want funding because the needs are the same and a lot?
“TLC we can tell that it really works and the hype around it is generating attention and a request. But what about the others that do not do this or have the time and access to invite the media to their institutions,” Bennett said.
He cautioned that government was setting a bad precedence by its rescuing mission of TLC, regardless of the efficiency of the institution and that it was helping to provide health services for many.
“What is going to happen when other institutions ask for more government support,” he stated, in reference to the universities that are dependent on government funding.
He said this was an example of what government was now doing, inviting more and more institutions to ask for funding when they were stand-alone.
“There’s another institution that has been closed until further notice.
I’m not sure why but they have issues. Even Limkokwing needs money and Ngwane College once it upgrades to a university will also need funding.
“There are other institutions for skills upgrading, which also need money.
Even ECOT will be upgraded, but they are always toyi-toying over allowances,” he charged. Bennett has called for this to be debated, before any decision is taken.“This issue needs to be debated. If TLC needs public money, this should not be the exclusive preserve of Parliament, maybe we should debate it at inkhundla level,” he said.
He also added that if the money was made available, then the auditor general would be forced to follow the money if there will be government money involved. Bennett argued that after what the country experienced during the political unrest, the country needed proper consultations before decisions were taken lightly.
“Post this unrest we need proper consultations, we need to be recognised, respected and engaged,” he emphasised.
“Let me make an example, if I remember very well there was a spat between the former minister, the ministry and TLC. There are vested interests looking to take over business in the health industry as a whole or central medical stores in particular to do whatever.
There are now competing commercial interests in a thing that is poverty driven,” Benett elaborated.
He said he had issues with the structure of the institution being a private entity being funded by public money.
“We have scholarships, terribly desperate and in need to increase availability, but especially the national university. There’s the issue of the allowances which are never paid on time. We need to equate allowances to the level of salaries of civil servants and parastatals, that is as close as we can get to compare because they are from the same government,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Bennett commended government for taking care of the bread and butter issues for civil servants, especially paying civil servants on time, ‘and even earlier on holidays’.
“In short I am saying that funding in government is these things, drugs shortages etc. This is endemic and showing signs of a corrupt society,” he emphasised. He said there were many other areas that lacked funding, whose case would be argued for government intervention. He made an example of Eswatini epilepsy Organisation, Cheshire Homes and the Hope House, which organisations he stated were always desperate for funding.
“That you will set up an NGO on your own and all of a sudden you want government help is not acceptable. There is no NGO that does not do any good. We have seen others being liquidated and closed and cars sold.”
He questioned how the E60m was arrived at, how it will be raised and whether the TLC financials had been audited to establish the need for government intervention. “Where are the financial statements of the TLC, where are the assets that they have? Do they own the property that they are on in Sidvokodvo? Are they likely to consider selling that land? And then go to rented premises and go to a government farm.
I am not sure how they are now linked to the Venom Foundation, I am really concerned about their financials, their cost structures, assets, etc.
You may find that they are living a highlife, yet we are talking to a charity organisation. How does the minister drive this thing?” What is it, it is very busy there. Are they a hospital or a not for taxation purposes yet they are making a profit?
These are basic things to interrogate before you consider whether you are raising the money or not. Because in the past they have the capacity to do things but now they do not have money. “They should hand over the information, that they can run this and that and provide financial statements and not take people to place them there.”
Bennett, however, accepts that The Luke Commission plays a very essential role in society and that non-government organisations are desirable.
“But they should compete fairly for limited resources. We should know that when they set up shop how will they sustain themselves. We cannot just have some of them then wanting to join in the government resources without knowing what their intentions were.
“Hhayi lokutsi batobese bafuna kugibela ibus staff leya kuhulumende,” he said. Efforts to get the minister of health were unsuccessful as his phone was off yesterday evening with the last attempt being made at 8pm.
Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula has said the ministry has not yet reached any decision on subvention.
Sisengakafiki etindzabeni te subversion. “Through the committee we will determine the existing and potential areas of collaboration and develop a supporting mechanism and resource mobilisation plan,” he said. Matsebula says the subvention issue would be determined by the partnership arrangement, taking into consideration other relevant existing pieces of legislation.
Source: observer
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