The Honorable Minister for Health, Senator, Lizzy Nkosi
The National Commissioner, Royal Eswatini Police Service,
Principal Secretary, Ministry of Health
Regional Administrator-Lubombo Region
Senior Government Officials
PEPFAR/CDC Officials
Implementing Partner officials
Members of Police Service
The Media
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Sanibonani Bekunene (…Greetings august members assembled)
It is a pleasure to be with you today for the official launch of the Lubombo Regional Police Clinic.
The United States Government is committed to its partnership with the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Royal Eswatini Police Services, and other ministries we are strengthening the HIV/TB and COVID-19 responses to ensure improved health care delivery systems for the Emaswati. The ultimate desire is to build sustainable and resilient health systems.
Health system resilience can be defined as the capacity of health actors, institutions, and populations to prepare for and effectively respond to crises; maintain core functions when a crisis hits; and, informed by lessons learned during the crisis, reorganize if conditions require it.
At the Lubombo Regional Police Clinic, the US government funded and supported plumbing and electrical equipment, beds, furniture, medical equipment, refurbishment of the park-home and waiting area, and COVID-19 screening equipment, PPE, and supplies. Our PEPFAR/CDC implementing partners, University Research Corporation and Georgetown University, worked alongside the health department in providing assistance to this clinic. This support helps to ensure that police officers, their families, and surrounding community, have timely access to health services. I am grateful to our partners and to the Ministry of Health for their close collaboration in delivering high quality health services.
I’d like to highlight that the Royal Eswatini Police service Clinic in Siteki was able to absorb the HIV patients displaced from the Lubombo Referral hospital due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This is a very significant accomplishment, and absolutely critical to sustaining HIV epidemic control in the face of COVID-19. The United States is proud to have contributed to making this possible.
The US government will continue to work alongside the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini in addressing priority health and human development challenges. It is our sincere hope that through this clinic and other police clinics supported by PEPFAR implementing partners, the police force and their families and surrounding community will have high quality health services that are easily accessible to them.
The police force plays a vital role in protecting citizens and promoting the rule of law. We are proud to contribute to a healthier police force so that they can continue to fulfill this important responsibility.
Thank you.