10 Sep 2014

The Ministry of Health has renewed a five-year contract with Airborne Lifeline foundation (ALF), a charity organisation which lies medical personnel to and from remote primary hospitals and clinics.

Speaking during an outreach trip to assess the needs of clinics in Seronga, the operations director of Airborne Lifeline Foundation (ALF), Ms Tammi McAllister said in an interview that ALF signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ministry to fly medical doctors and personnel to remote Botswana hospitals. 

She said her organisation was funded by the government of the United States of America. Ms McAllister said the initiative was made possible by Jonathan Miller, founder and president of the Airborne Lifeline Foundation and former Peace Corps director in Botswana and aviation advisor to numerous international airlines and aircraft companies. 

She noted that Mr Miller worked with the then Botswana health minister, Ms Joy Phumaphi and former US Ambassador to Botswana, Mr Joseph Huggins to realise this partnership.

Ms McAllister said they are in partnership with Princess Marina Hospital, UPenn, Baylor and University of Botswana who provide them with medical practitioners to these remote areas. 

She said they do not fly doctors themselves as they do not have aircrafts but provide funding to book flights. She said they use chartered flights like Major Blue Air and helicopters from Helicopters Horizons who are also helpful with their charitable booking rates.

“Our focus is on the prevention and treatment of HIV,” she said. During the last 12 months, Airborne Outreach provided essential clinical services to six rural health facilities in Ghanzi, Hukuntsi, Kasane, Maun, Tsabong and Seronga , where 5 378 patients were seen on 62 outreach flights.

One of the key factors in all the outreach flights to the various destinations is not only to assist with complex medical cases but to carry out capacity building within the medical community, Ms McAllister noted.

The specialists and doctors that travel, she explained, spend a lot of the time training and teaching medical officers in those areas. 

She also said their mission was to have the same doctor visiting the same clinics and allowing a patient and doctor relationship to develop.

Ms McAllister said in the past people in these areas went for days without specialists because it took about three days to drive to those clinics, but today, more doctors are able to travel and treat more patients in a day.

She said HIV specialists provide pediatrics, adult services, orthopedics, oncology, neurosurgery and psychiatry. 

“Allied health professionals, including nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, radiology technicians and psychologists, were regularly present on outreach trips,” she said. 

She also noted that they receive a feedback report on every flight from the doctors of the number of patients treated and medical supplies transported or any other special need such as the transportation of blood samples or refrigerated ARV’s. 

This information, she added is also reported to MoH to ensure they have an idea on what was happening in rural health facilities 

However, Ms McAllister said the economic recession in 2008 caused a drastic drop in ALF funds. She said in early 2009, PEPFAR funds were made available to ALF and this enabled the continuation of ALF’s activities.

ALF now serves numerous hospitals and clinics on a regular scheduled basis in the Kgalagadi, Okavango Delta and Chobe, she added.

On average, she mentioned that, ALF flies eight medical specialists per flight (including HIV/AIDS specialists from Baylor and UPenn) to these facilities including medical cargo.

Consequently, Ms McAllister noted that ALF is very happy to have flights to Gumare and Seronga reinstated. The service to Gumare was suspended four years ago due to the closure of the Gumare Airstrip while Seronga was suspended due to shortage of doctors and specialists in January 2014 as many local doctors went to Namibia for greener pastures.

The Seronga principal registered nurse, Mr Clifford Motlhalamme expressed gratitude towards the foundation saying it is a lifesaving initiative. 

He said these doctors relieve patients and medical personnel in these regions where specialists are in short supply.  ENDS