03 Dec 2015

Assistant Minister of Health, Dr Alfred Madigele says there is a challenge of staff accommodation at Extension 14, Extension 2, Bontleng and Old Naledi Clinics.

Answering a question in Parliament of Monday, Dr Madigele said at Extension 14, there are seven nurses and all are accommodated in private house, one nurse stays in Lobatse in her own house while the remaining six live in Gabororone.

He said Bontleng Clinic has 21 nurses, 14 are in private houses and seven in institutional houses, the matron stays at Kanye at her matrimonial house and 20 live in Gaborone.

Dr Madigele noted that Extension 2 clinic has 23 nurses, four are in institutional house, 19 are in private houses, one stays in Molepolole in matrimonial house, the other one stays in Ramotswa, while the other 21 nurses stay in Gaborone. The clinic operates 24 hours while the Extension 14 and Bontleng Clinics operate from 7.30 am to 4.30 pm, he added.

Concerning Old Naledi Clinics, he said it was a 24 hour clinic with maternity, and it has 29 nurses, of which 23 are in private accommodation and six live in institutional houses,21 staying in Gaborone, and two are duel residential in Gaborone in Ramotswa, one stays in Lobatse and one at Otse and two stay in Molepolole.

“It is therefore true that because of shortage of accommodation some of the staff for the facilities stay in privately rented houses which are not subsidised or commute from nearby villages where they stay with their families,” he said.

He said this affects their service delivery as they have to travel long distance and sometimes at odd hours, which result in a lot of fatigue. Gaborone DHMT, he said, has 71 clinic houses, six in Gaborone, 21 in Tlokweng and 44 are at Mogoditshane against an establishment of 846 staff.

He said most of the employees were therefore housed in private/own houses and a few in Council houses or pool houses from department of housing.
Dr Madigele said currently, 237 are in pool, council or institutional houses and 607 are in private houses.

He however said there are 133 staff housing projects from deferred projects, adding that indeed there was a serious accommodation challenge for all health and allied health workers in Gaborone, and his ministry continues to work tirelessly to ensure that there was staff housing for the ministry employees.

Gaborone South, Member of Parliament, Mr Kagiso Molatlhegi had asked the whether the minister was aware of the shortage of accommodation for nursing staff at Extension 14, Extension 2, Bontleng and Old Naledi Clinics.

The minister was also to state if there are any plans to accommodate them in Gaborone since some commute from as far as Lobatse despite manning a 24 hour clinic at Old Naledi. Ends