…as Ministry of Health accuses CHAL of using funds meant for medication to pay salaries, leaving patients without treatment.

21 May 2025 by Limpho Sello 

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A 14-year-old boy from Qacha’s Nek suffering from severe chickenpox was turned away from Tebellong Hospital on May 15, 2025, due to an ongoing strike by hospital staff.

“He was clearly in pain, and yet, there was no nurse, no doctor, not even a tablet of paracetamol,” Mamalefane Phatela told Uncensored News on May 20, 2025. 

In a separate interview, Tebellong Hospital’s Acting Administration Manager, Taoana Makhabane, said that the strike began on May 12, 2025.  

“Workers said they haven’t been paid their April salaries, and the uncertainty over when they’ll be paid is adding to their frustration,” Makhabane said.

Tebellong is one of the health facilities managed by the Christian Health Association of Lesotho (CHAL). CHAL operates eight hospitals and 71 health centres nationwide, and also runs four nursing schools. CHAL receives government subsidy through the Ministry of Health to support these operations. 

For the 2025/26 financial year, CHAL was allocated M374 million. However, the Ministry of Health deducted M33 million to purchase and distribute medicines and medical supplies on CHAL’s behalf.

The funding arrangement is guided by a 2007 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Health and the Christian Health Association of Lesotho (CHAL). Under this agreement, the Ministry provides funding to cover staff salaries, medication, and other medical supplies.

However, the Ministry now accuses CHAL of misusing the funds—claiming the association used money allocated for medication to pay staff salaries. As a result, the Ministry has issued a directive to take over the procurement and distribution of medication and medical supplies for all CHAL facilities nationwide.

CHAL, on the other hand, says the MoU is now under threat. It argues that the government’s decision to assume control over medication procurement undermines CHAL’s operational autonomy. 

It also accuses the government of repeated violations, including delayed subventions, a shift to monthly from quarterly payments, outdated staffing structures, and a growing disregard for the spirit of the agreement.

CHAL Executive Director, Makatleho Mohasi, says workers’ strike at Tebellong Hospital “is a direct result of the government’s failure to release the first-quarter subvention.”

“All CHAL facilities are operating under financial distress. Some, like Tebellong, have downed tools because staff say they cannot serve the public effectively without the basics—salaries, drugs, and equipment.”

Also read: https://www.uncensored.org.za/lekala-la-bophelo-le-bile-lehala-litabeng-tsa-chal-dps/

Turned away at the gate

Now, as the crisis drags into a second week, life has taken a desperate turn for more than 16 000 residents in more than 50 villages around the Tebellong Hospital. The hospital, once a vital lifeline, has gone eerily quiet—its staff unpaid and patients turned away at the gates.

Among those affected is 14-year-old *Tumo from Qabane, who was carried across rugged terrain on horseback by his older brother in search of treatment for severe chickenpox. 

The journey of more than five hours was long and arduous. They arrived at Tebellong Hospital exhausted, only to be told that no services were available.

With no shelter nearby, a local woman, Mamalefane Phatela of Ha-Phatela village told Uncensored News on Tuesday, May 20 2025, that her family opened their home to the boys.

“He was  complaining all night from a terrible headache,” Phatela said. She says the situation made her, her husband and the younger boy’s brother “all helpless” because “there was just nothing anyone could do.”

Phatela said the boy and his brother left the next day to seek help at Ha- Sekake Clinic and still they did not receive any help. Ha Sekake Clinic is also run by CHAL. 

“I don’t know whether they eventually found help. I don’t have their contact details. I just hope they’re okay.”

Phatela says the Tebellong strike is taking a toll not only on physical health but also on trust in the system. “It’s not just about one boy,” she said. 

“There are pregnant women, elderly people, and children with chronic conditions who need help. But the hospital is not operational. I only heard that pregnant women and patients are still there in the hospital. I am not sure if they are being cared for by skeleton staff. 

“People are getting sick. Some are  quietly frustrated in their homes with uncertainty of their health I am sure. We are being forgotten.”

One hospital, thousands without care

Tumo’s story is not unique. For the past several days, thousands in the Tebellong catchment area have been left stranded without access to health services. 

Tebellong Hospital’s Acting Administration Manager, Taoana Makhabane, said the hospital serves more than 50 villages in Qacha’s Nek.

“Many people from other parts of Qacha’s Nek, outside our catchment area, also come here for health services, especially those who are not afraid to cross the river by boat,” he said.

Now, the only alternative for many is Machabeng Hospital in Qacha’s Nek town—an option out of reach for villagers who cannot afford transport or whose conditions require urgent care.

CHAL Executive Director, Makatleho Mohasi, told journalists on May 19, 2025 that CHAL is not encouraging other CHAL health facilities to follow Tebellong’s example.

“It is our plea that they continue to offer services to Basotho, as we hope that by coming out publicly in this manner, it will prompt the government to fast-track the disbursement of funds to support better services.” 

Mohasi said the very foundation of the partnership was beginning to erode. “Regrettably, this partnership appears to be facing serious challenges,” Mohasi said.

“The government’s failure to disburse funds on time, coupled with its decision to unilaterally shift payment schedules to monthly from quarterly, is not only a breach of the MoU—it is a threat to the lives of Basotho who rely on CHAL facilities.”

She further revealed that the government has not revised staffing structures at CHAL-run institutions in years, despite a growing population and rising disease burden. This has resulted in overstretched staff and under-resourced services.

Impulse over drug procurement

On May 20, 2025, the Ministry of Health officials appeared before the parliamentary committee on Pandemics to brief the National Assembly on the impact of U.S foreign cuts on Lesotho’s HIV/AIDS and TB programmes. 

During this session, committee member and Matsieng lawmaker, Makotoko Moshe, said he was fully aware that nurses working in CHAL facilities own pharmacies and that they steal medication from these facilities to sell them. 

“Now you help with subsidies and can even help with drugs, they do not want them because they make money. What do you do with that issue?” Moshe asked. 

In response, officials from the Ministry of Health’s Pharmacy department, Ntebaleng Tjobe Maina and Ramahlabane Thejane, told the committee there was evidence that CHAL is using funds allocated for drugs to pay salaries. 

Listen to their responses here: 

Uncensored News has not independently verified whether the Ministry of Health’s claim – that CHAL is using funds allocated for medication to pay salaries – directly influenced the government’s decision to take over the procurement and distribution of medicines. 

However, CHAL said the move violates the Memorandum of Understanding and is already worsening drug shortage in several health centres.

Libete Selapane from CHAL said: “That M33 million is deducted from the M374 Million they get from government.”