Maseru, March 09 — The Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Mrs. Maneo Moliehi Ntene says there has always been an inadequate budget for Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) referrals since 2015/2016 fiscal year.
This she said during a joined Parliamentary Portfolio Committees Meeting on the Ministerial consultations on the annual budget 2026/2027.
Mrs. Ntene highlighted that in 2016/2017 the Ministry had arrears amounting to M156, 858, 690 for referrals and the money was reduced to M131, 153, 359 in 2023/24, indicating that at least 1498 cancer patients are referred to South African hospitals annually as they need radiation since there is no cancer hospital in the country.
She indicated that the Ministry pays M250, 000 for cancer treatment per person as well as petrol to transport such patients, saying it still has arrears on referrals .
It was also revealed that QMMH has been using money from other departments to assist as 80 percent of its patients have cancer.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning Budget Controller Mrs. Maleshoane Lekomola-Danziger revealed that QMMH had a shortage of M158 Million for operations, M66 million for referrals in 2025/2026 financial year and areas amounting to M128 million for referrals in 2024/2025 financial year.
She indicated that a contingency warrant was released to assist the Ministry of Health and M100 million was earmarked for drugs, M56 Million for soft facilities
and M77 million for QMMH to cater for patients’ food and oxygen.
“The Minister of Finance approved the contingency which was about M200 million,” she added.
The Meeting between the Ministry of Health and Portfolio committees is continuing.
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