04 Feb 2016

The Botswana Harvard AIDS Partnership has introduced a medical intervention study in order to improve access to oncology care.

Speaking during the ongoing Kweneng Sub-district Council (MAA/Lentweletau) meeting, research coordinator at Botswana Harvard AIDS Partnership, Ms  Kerapetse Botebele, informed councilors that the  dubbed: Potlako Study,  was implemented after realisation that other incurable diseases were on the rise than just HIV/AIDS .

Ms Botebele said Potlako was a two-year project that would take place in public health facilities within Kweneng East.

She said it had been observed that about 70 per cent of people get diagnosed with cancer when it is already at its advanced stage, thus limiting chances of cure.

However, Ms Botebele explained that reasons why people got diagnosed late were that both patients and health care workers ignored symptoms.

She said the health care worker would just provide treatment based on symptoms, but would not go further to test patient specimen to find out the root cause.

In order to eliminate the loopholes, it was explained that Potlako Study would establish a way of identifying cancer symptoms as well as facilitating health care workers to on how to test for major cancer symptoms, and how to refer the patients in order for treatment to be started early.

Meanwhile, nurses will be used as mediators between the patients, primary clinics and referral hospitals. The use of SMS reminder has been opted to be used to remind patients about their check-ups, release of results, as a way to curb default by patients to do follow-ups. ENDS