MBABANE: Kareem Ashraff, the SwaziPharm Director has blamed Government’s delay in paying suppliers as one of the factors worsening the ongoing health crisis.
Responding to a detailed questionnaire from this Swaziland News after being asked to clarify the allegations leveled him, the SwaziPharm Director said, it’s unjust to attribute the health crisis to him when there are known factors, that contributed and, continue to contribute to the collapse of the country’s health system.
“The public should be taken into confidence regarding the drug procurement process, as transparency is essential for accountability and trust. Currently, two major factors are contributing to the shortage of drugs. The first is procurement being done in crisis mode, largely because the quantification methods used by the ministry do not appear to be effective. Poor forecasting leads to emergency orders, which are often more expensive and less reliable. The second, and perhaps the biggest factor, is the delayed payment of suppliers. When suppliers are not paid on time, they are unable or unwilling to continue supplying medicines, resulting in frequent stock-outs. This disrupts the entire supply chain and directly affects patient care,” he said.
On another note, the SwaziPharm Director called for the full implementation of the Prince Sikelela Commission report adopted by the then Cabinet under Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini.
“Had the ministry implemented the recommendations of the Sikelela Commission, many of these challenges could have been addressed. The commission’s outcomes were aimed at improving governance, procurement efficiency, and financial management. Failure to act on these recommendations has contributed significantly to the current situation. Implementing them fully would be a critical step toward stabilizing the procurement system and ensuring consistent availability of drugs,” said the SwaziPharm Director.
But Ashraff and his companies SwaziPharm and AvaPharm were accused by the Office of the Auditor General of having contributed to the collapse of the health system, the businessman has been vigorously denying these allegations and went as far as taking legal action against Funduzi Forensic Services, accusing the investigation company of compiling a report with unsubstantiated allegations.
The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) applied for a warrant of arrest against Ashraff, accusing him of being involved in the procurement of over R600million Antiretroviral (ARVs) that were paid for by Government but, never delivered.
But Ashraff, when responding to this publication regarding this specific allegation consistently mantained that, the ARVs were delivered adding that he was fully cooperating with the relevant investigation agencies seeking to verify the facts behind this matter.
SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff.