07 Sep 2014

Ministry of Health has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the provision of specialised organ transplant services with Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited specialists.

The Indian Hospital group will offer kidney and liver transplants to Botswana for patients who had matching living donors of which the patients will be referred from Princess Marina Hospital.

Speaking at the signing ceremony on Friday September 5 the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Koleaatamo Malefho said Botswana was afflicted a lot with non-communicable diseases; hence the organ transplant had become a priority.

He said these diseases had become severe in that they also affected children who were below five years due to unknown toxics from unprocessed food.

Dr Malefho said the ministry came up with transplant policy which would ensure equity and were guided by the policy to look for partners around the world since Botswana does not have a transplant clinic.

“We are signing the MoU so that we can access your hospitals and equipment of high class and also train our own people to acquire skills and eventually bring them here,” he said.

Apollo Hospitals senior general manager, Dr Harinder Singh Sidhu concurred that non communicable diseases are a growing concern in developing nations and hence a priority for them.

He said they have developed programmes to fight the epidemic and are proud to be partnering with the Ministry of Health to beat the scourge.

Through this partnership, he said, they would work in capacity building and bring experts to Botswana in order to exchange skills.

Dr Sidhu said this was a great opportunity for the two countries to work together and help citizens and also thanked the Botswana High Commission to India who facilitated the partnership to ensure that people benefit. Ends