Africa-Press – Eswatini. While the ministry of health has delivered medication to hospitals, the supply is insufficient to address the current challenges especially at the Mbabane Government Hospital (MGH), according to the nurses union.
The Swaziland Democratic Union (SWADNU) Secretary General, Mayibongwe Masangane, said they were still faced with immense challenges in meeting the increasing demand for treatment with services at the theatre limited.
This, he was said, was because deliveries of medical supplies that would see the theatre filly operational were insufficient.
The situation at the theatre, according to Masangane, had remained the same for some months and healthcare workers only attended to emergencies.
He highlighted that the consequences of the shortage of medication were dire, as patients and individuals who depended on timely medical assistance were left stranded and uncertain about their future well-being.
Masangane pointed to the health minister’s earlier statement that delivery of medication had been made at the various facilities across the country, adding that the situation was gradually returning to normal.
“As the minister earlier stated, some medical supplies are being delivered, that we acknowledge, but unfortunately there is still not much progress,” he said.
He said they had compiled a list of items which, according to him, were out of stock but most of the medication on the list had not been delivered, adding that they had listed 50 items.
“The Mbabane Government Hospital, which was the most affected, cannot operate fully with the medication that has been delivered. There is nothing the nurses can do,” said Masangane.
The major concern, Masangane said, was that a majority of the medical supplies being delivered were already available at the hospital, making mention of panado, hence the theatre department could only attend to emergencies.
A theatre nurse who wished not to be mentioned highlighted that the stock that was available was mostly expired because there had previously been delays on the arrival of stock.
“Whenever we order stock, we will find that it is either out of stock or have to wait for them.”
She added that when the supplies did finally arrive, the drugs arrived in bulk and close to reaching their expiry date.
“Most of the medical supplies of drugs in the hospital have already expired, this is another reason why the theatre is experiencing such a crisis,” said the nurse.
Minister of Health, Lizzie Nkosi, said they had not met to discuss the way forward when called yesterday.
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