In
another twist in the ongoing health crisis in Swaziland, the kingdom’s blood
bank has run dry, putting at risk patients who are suffering from leukaemia,
cancer of the blood, skin and lung cancer.
The APA news agency reported on Friday (16 June 2017) chief
laboratory technologist at the Blood Bank, Gugu Maphalala said the demand of
blood had gone up in recent years due to increases in diseases and blood was
flowing out of the bank quicker than it came in.
The
Ministry of Health has turned to inmates in correctional facilities for blood
but APA reported some people were against this ‘as they said it was against
certain standards’.
There has
been a health crisis in Swaziland for several months as medicines in public
hospitals and health clinics ran out because the Swazi Government failed to pay
suppliers.
Minister
of Health Sibongile Ndlela-Simelane in a paper presented to the Swaziland
Senate last Monday (12 June 2017) said, ‘This has reduced the quantity of
commodities that suppliers are able to deliver before payment.’
The Swazi Observer
newspaper reported, ‘Substantiating
her point, Simelane said the suppliers had decried government’s failure to pay
on time, stating that they also had suppliers that they too had to pay and this
act by government was destroying their relationship.’
The
Minister said more drugs were now being delivered.
See also
MEDICINE SHORTAGE: FIVE DIE
DRUG SHORTAGE CRISIS DEEPENS
SWAZI
GOVT ‘KILLING ITS OWN PEOPLE’
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/05/swazi-govt-killing-its-own-people.html
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