16 Aug 2015

The District Multi Sectoral AIDS Committee has launched a new tool in an effort to address a worrisome trend that sees some patients declining treatment after they are diagnosed with communicable diseases.

Assistant council secretary in the Kweneng District Council, Mr Gofaone Mosiakgabo said Molepolole being the third most populous area after Gaborone and Francistown could pose a challenge of communicable diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. 

The tool, which was launched recently in Molepolole, is expected to assist in tracking down patients by health facility in the Kweneng District. 

Programmes coordinator at Hope Worldwide Botswana, Ms Ellen Eyman explained that the referral tool was a form that would be filled with a patient’s details as well as the referring facility and officer. 

She said the tool would enable them to follow-up whether their patients got assistance where they refer them to. The use of old referral forms would cease.

Ms Eyman said Hope Worldwide Botswana initiated the idea to design the multi-stakeholder tool that was reviewed by the District Multi Sectoral AIDS Committee and launched in July.

Remarking on the tool, the regional counselling psychologist, Ms Mable Sekgwa suggested that there could be a software that the referral tool could be used in to create a clientele database that every facility could access wherever they were.

BOCAIP centre manager, Ms Mpho Mokone suggested that there be individuals who would be assigned to fetch the referral form return slips from various facilities since information contained in the forms was of a confidential nature. 

Some participants said while the initiative was a welcome development, lack of electricity in some clinics would pose a challenge in the implementation of the tool in soft copy form. 

Representatives from various facilities, clinics and non-governmental organisations embraced the tool, saying it would enable them to liaise with other stakeholders. They said that it would enable clients to be assisted on time, and have the lives of the infected saved and prolonged.ENDS