Swazi Observer

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OVER 100 PATIENTS TURNED BACK AT TLC

By SIFISO NHLABATSI | 2023-12-30

The conditions at The Luke Commission (TLC) are dire as over 100 patients were yesterday turned back.

This has seen patients pleading with government to rescue the institution, which had become the country’s go-to hospital following the drugs and personnel shortages in public health facilities.

With TLC also faced with financial challenges leading to the shattering situation at the hospital where over 160 employees were laid off and some services scaled down, over 300 patients were informed that not all of them would be attended to.

Immediately after being informed of the decision, despair was written on some of the patients faces.

Some of the patients said they were disheartened that the facility, which was very helpful to them, would operate on selected days a week yet before it was operating 24/7.

They pleaded with government to ensure that it kept the hospital afloat, as it was and still is helping Emaswati.

One of the patients, who identified himself as Simelane, said he went to the hospital yesterday with the hope of being assisted but unfortunately he received bad news when he was told about the downscaling of operations.

queues

“We are requesting from the ministry of health and government as a whole to intervene. We are in long queues and are not even sure if we will eventually receive the help we desperately need. We have heard that there are challenges faced by the organisation and we plead that government does whatever it can to assist the institution,” Simelane stated.

Gogo Manana from Nhlambeni said she was turned back because limited services were being offered. She requested that government intervenes and assists the health centre because there were many Emaswati who were receiving help from TLC.

“The hospital is close to where I stay, and it is helpful to us people of Nhlambeni as we do not have to travel long distances to seek help,” Manana stated.

Other patients expressed that TLC had been very helpful and expressed shock that they were now being turned back at the centre.

Mkhulu Buthelezi said they had seen how the hospital had been of great help to the nation but of late they were being turned back.

assisted
TLC is facing one of its hardest phases and is doing everything to ensure that every patient visiting the centre is assisted with the limited resources they have, but yesterday it was a different story.

Over the past couple of days despite downscaling services, the centre has seen an influx of patients and the Miracle Centre has been forced to use the little resources left.

In October, TLC announced that they will apply a limited reduction in services to more closely match demand and resources. Again in the beginning of this month, the organisation announced that it was accelerating its downscaling.

However, since downscaling in October, the organisation continues to see over 15 000 patients monthly.

Among decreased services, TLC stated that it would close outpatient services at the Miracle Campus and the Matsapha Clinic from December 22 to January 7.

Amidst downscaled operations, The Luke Commission has expressed that it was looking forward to working with government on collaborative solutions to empower 24/7 patient care.
TLC Executive Director, Echo VanderWal said they have been operating at a deficit for three years due to increased patient demand.

According to the director, she explained that in October they attempted a limited reduction in services to stabilise the financial situation.

“Sadly, that downscaling has now been accelerated in December as an agreement has not yet been reached,” VanderWal stated.

She further said that by prioritising efficiency, performance-based and public-private-partnership approaches allow the highest quality service provision to be delivered at the lowest possible cost.
With the country’s relatively high per capita investments in healthcare, she said it was well-positioned to have one of the best healthcare systems in the continent.

VanderWal said just as a road construction company did not need to become a parastatal in order to build a road for government, so too a health provider did not need to become a parastatal to deliver high quality healthcare for government under a service provider contract.

She said TLC remained committed to innovation, technological advancement, and delivery of high-quality services at the lowest possible cost and to ensuring that decisions made ensure the continuity of this commitment into perpetuity.

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