Lobamba– The Minister of Health came under fire in Parliament on Monday after Lugongolweni Member of Parliament Honourable J. Souza demanded answers over the recently announced Emergency Clinical Referral Services at Good Shepherd Hospital, questioning whether the initiative would be implemented while several previously announced health projects remain incomplete.
During the first quater performance report debate on the Ministry of Health’s budget, the legislator reminded the House that only a few months ago the minister informed the nation that Good Shepherd Hospital would host Emergency Clinical Referral Services. However, the MP said Parliament had yet to receive details on how the service would be operationalized or whether the necessary resources were in place.
The MP argued that the announcement had raised expectations among the public, but lawmakers had not been updated on the progress of the initiative.
The legislator also questioned the fate of a renal unit that the minister announced during the previous financial year, saying Parliament had never been informed what became of the project.
“The minister told the public that the Kingdom would have a renal unit after kidney cases became complicated. He has never come back to tell us what happened to that renal unit. I am informed the unit is being stored at the referral institution even though staff have already been trained to operate the equipment,” the MP said.
The MP further referred to a report adopted by Parliament in 2017 concerning referral clinics, saying there had been little communication on the implementation of its recommendations.
“There was a report adopted by Parliament in 2017. What is happening with those clinics because nothing has been communicated?” the legislator asked.
The MP also alleged that government subventions intended for Good Shepherd Hospital were benefiting Good Shepherd College instead, leaving the health facility without sufficient resources to operate effectively.
“Does the ministry know that the subvention they give to Good Shepherd goes to the college? You find there is nothing left to run the health facility,” the MP said.
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