16 Sep 2014

Botswana is among the best performing developing countries in health outcomes and indices, Assistant Minister of Health, Dr Gloria Somolekae has said.


This, Dr  Somolekae said, was evidenced by the efforts done by the Lions Club, which has been serving and helping the health of those in need especially through its health camps.


Dr Somolekae said this when officiating at the Lions Club Health camp in Lobatse on September 13.
 She said health was a bedrock of economic progress for any country adding that this was the reason government ensured that the Ministry of Health was one of the top two that received the lion’s share of the country’s budget.


She acknowledged and commended the members of the Lion’s Cub for developing and implementing community integrated health and wellness programmes as well as facilitating access to health care and wellness services.


She said the club’s mandate as a key society stakeholder, was aligned to the ministry’s vision of promoting the provision of comprehensive preventative, curative and rehabilitative quality health services to the nation.

Furthermore, Dr Somolekae noted that the country was standing at the threshold of a worrisome development that was the advent of the rising incidents of non communicable diseases.


“These diseases take long duration and slow progression to be noticed as a disease, meaning that their management touches the core of people’s lifestyles and cultural practices”, she said.


Effectively curbing growth of these illnesses, she said, was everybody’s business and not government’s alone.
 She advised on the need to address risk factors in order to manage the prevalence of these diseases which indicate that in 2009, 6 044 cases of such diseases were handled.


It is against these facts, she said that Lions Club of Lobatse is trying to arrest these sicknesses by checking blood pressure, breast cancer, eye screening and giving reading glasses.


She also urged the public to play a role in making contribution in ensuring that they lead healthy lifestyles.
 Sharing information on Lionism, Former Lobatse Lions’s club president Mr Legodile Serema said Lobatse club, registered in 1968 was the first of the affiliated members to the international association and has over the past years achieved a lot.


Mr Serema said it is time that people realise that they should provide  for the less privileged. Therefore it is through this conviction that the club has built a home for the less privileged in Peleng and intends to build yet another one in Woodhall.


He highlighted that they have gone around Lobatse and surrounding villages, holding health camps, carrying out health screens and distributing reading glasses.



Members of the public thronged the Lobatse new mall for the health camp and took advantage of the event to test for various ailments such as sugar diabetes, blood pressure and eye screening.

The aim of the event was to educate and sensitise the public about good health and the need to use facilities offered by health facilities across the country. Ends