Africa-Press – Eswatini. LOCALS will now heave a sigh of relief as government has already paid E15 million to The Luke Commission (TLC).
The E15 million already paid is part of the E30 million that was a budget allocation to TLC.
This is after the House of Assembly passed a motion that the minister of finance, in consultation with the minister of health, facilitates the payment of a budgetary allocation amounting to E30 million toTLC around May.
The payment was made on Monday. Yesterday Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg confirmed that the E15 million had been paid to TLC.
This was during the adoption of the report of the select committee which was mandated to investigate the bottle-necks and disharmony between the ministry of health and TLC.
Rijkenberg said the request for the release of the funds was submitted by the minister of health and the final request of the actual payment was made on Friday last week. He said the E15 million came through the treasury department and was transferred to the Luke Commission on Monday morning.
He said the health facility had already confirmed having received the money. Rijkenberg said even though they received permission to grant the hospital E30 million, the ministry released it as they saw fit, which was as per invoices.
”They could have asked for the release of the whole budget, but they only asked for the payment of E15 million and I do not know why.
Maybe they wanted to see how it goes. When the ministry receives the next request of the payment of the remaining E15 million, we will release it,” he said.
Release
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula said it was normal for government to release the budget in batches. He said they were grateful that this time government released half of the money.
This was after the Deputy Speaker Madala Mhlanga asked why the hospital was not given the E30 million at once.
Mhlanga said he was aware that the country had not budgeted for the money, but made a compromise. He asked how much the ministry was giving the other hospitals which benefited from government funding.
He said those used a lot of money and it was only fair that TLC be treated the same way.
Minister of Tinkhundla Sikhumbuzo Dlamini added that government was committed to fixing all the issues adding that they had noted the good things that the hospital had done.He said many people were referred to TLC by other governmental institutions, highlighting that this was reason enough for government not to deny the health facility funding because they had seen their work.
“It gives us comfort that there is now cooperation between the two. I support the adaptation of the report because it shows that government is committed to helping the TLC,” he said.
Oxygen hub placement ‘birthed’ issues between TLC, govt – Marwick
THE Luke Commission seven-member select committee Chairperson, Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament Marwick Khumalo claims that issues between government and TLC started when the ministry wanted to take the oxygen hub to the Manzini referral hospital.
According to the Chairperson, TLC was the one that was asked to build the hub. He said during their assessment, they discovered that this was when the disharmony started.
He said the change of plans did not sit well with TLC.
“A Memorandum of Understanding was also written such that TLC would work with the ministry of finance on the issue instead of the ministry of health. The MoU was, however not signed,” he said.
Khumalo said from then, relations between the ministry and the hospital then became poor and this was during the term of the outgoing government.
He said TLC used money from their donors even during COVD-19. He said they worked with the ministry because there were things that were available in the hospital.
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