The spark of hope for Lesotho’s 8,000 village health workers (VHWs) has been extinguished by harsh fiscal reality.
In a stark reversal, Minister of Health Selibe Mochoboroane told Parliament’s Social Cluster Portfolio Committee last Thursday that the government lacks funds to grant the workers’ requested salary increase.
The admission marks a sharp departure from the minister’s earlier promises.
In December 2022, during World AIDS Day at Bethany Health Centre, Mochoboroane pledged to resolve long-standing payment issues, assuring that VHWs would receive monthly salaries like other civil servants by April 2023.
He described them as the backbone of rural healthcare and said weekly meetings were underway to fast-track their remuneration.
By 2026, that commitment appears to have faded.
The core dispute centers on the wide gap between current stipends and living costs. After a nationwide strike in June 2025, VHWs demanded their monthly allowance rise from M800 to M2,200.
Ministry of Health’s Principal Secretary (PS), ‘Maneo Moliehi Ntene told the committee that the proposed hike would cost an additional M148 million.
While the Ministry’s chief legal officer, advocate ‘Masello Sello, suggested openness to negotiation based on a prior out-of-court settlement, Mochoboroane swiftly dashed hopes.
“Even though Sello says her bosses will sit down to negotiate, there is nothing that her bosses can do,” he stated bluntly. “A budget to give a salary hike to the village health workers is simply not available.”
The stance has sparked sharp criticism from lawmakers, especially as other groups, such as traditional leaders, have seen their salary demands met in recent budgets.
The refusal is particularly alarming given VHWs’ critical role in remote areas far from clinics. These 8,000 workers monitor chronic conditions like HIV/AIDS and TB, support maternal and prenatal care, and distribute basic medication to those unable to travel long distances.
Committee Chairman Mokhothu Makhalanyane stressed that this is more than a budget request. Makhalanyane said it is a legal obligation, backed by a court judgment favouring the workers.
Despite the Ministry acknowledging the settlement, a lack of political will and available funds has led to deadlock.
For VHWs who trek miles daily to save lives in Lesotho’s most vulnerable communities, the long-promised civil servant status remains elusive.
VHW ‘Maitumeleng Lenepa from Mapholaneng, Mokhotlong, expressed deep disappointment: “We are very disappointed that we have to endure the struggle of providing for our families with an M800 stipend while doing so much work. We do not only offer services to patients, in some cases, VHWs go beyond our duties and ensure some patients have something to eat before giving them medication. It means the little M800 we get also has to be shared with our patients.”
Summary
- In a stark reversal, Minister of Health Selibe Mochoboroane told Parliament’s Social Cluster Portfolio Committee last Thursday that the government lacks funds to grant the workers’ requested salary increase.
- “A budget to give a salary hike to the village health workers is simply not available.
- Makhalanyane said it is a legal obligation, backed by a court judgment favouring the workers.
Ntsoaki Motaung is an award-winning health journalist from Lesotho, specializing in community health stories with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as HIV. She has contributed to platforms like “Be in the KNOW,” highlighting issues such as the exclusion of people with disabilities from HIV prevention efforts in Lesotho.
In addition to her journalism, Ntsoaki serves as the Country Coordinator for the Regional Media Action Plan Support Network (REMAPSEN). She is also a 2023 CPHIA Journalism Fellow.
