Health ministry pushes back on death claims amid medicine crisis

Machacha made the remarks when appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) after Members of Parliament (MPs) subjected ministry officials to intense questioning over the continued shortage of medicines in public health facilities and its impact on patients across the country. MP for Lobatse Kamal Jacobs was one of the first to accuse the ministry of complacency alluding that people are dying to shortage of medications. “People are dying out there. In Lobatse, there are people dying everyday. Every weekend I bury five or six people because there is no medication. Why do we have shortage of medication when we never had it?” asked Jacobs. Jacobs did not hold back as he elaborated that people are losing their lives due to reasons that some people are failing to do their jobs.“Batswana are dying because you people are incompetent to do your work. It is as simple as that. They are dying at your hands and it is very sad,” Jacobs said. He was supported by MP for Nkange, Motlhaleemang Moalosi who said people at his constituency continue to lose their lives. “I have a woman who is diabetic and has high blood pressure who told me that she has no medication at all. She is not the only one and I have told pastors at my constituency to preach that God has given life but government has taken it,” he said.In response, Machacha rebuffed such claims indicating that he cannot take responsibility for such insinuations. “Last year around August a state of emergency was declared and some of us were not there if we are being honest. I too have only a month in office and I can’t say I am failing my job,” he said. On allegations that people are losing their lives due to shortage of medications, Machacha argued that it is not a proven fact.“For you to take responsibility, there is a need for a post-mortem or any kind of investigations. Unless such investigations are undertaken, that’s when we can take responsibility. At this moment, I won’t be telling the truth to say that every death is caused by shortage of medications,” Machacha said.