18 May 2016

Airborne Lifeline Foundation director, Ms Tammi McAllister, says since inception of their partnership with Air Botswana last year, 28 doctors and specialists have been transported to remote areas across Botswana. The two entities entered into a partnership in which Air Botswana transported medical doctors and specialists to the foundation’s outreach sites across the country. 

Briefing the media in Gaborone on Tuesday, Ms McAllister said specialists managed to reach Maun, Gumare and Seronga with a total of 367 patients having been treated. 

She highlighted that the greatest impact that the outreach flights had achieved included alleviation of financial and logistical burdens on the less privileged Batswana, who had to travel to primary hospitals for such medical support. 

She stated that the partnership had given them an opportunity to stretch their budget and continue to service other outreach facilities adding that some doctors were flown to Tsabong, Hukuntsi and Ghanzi treating 1 563 patients. 

The director said Airborne Lifeline had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health so that they could use doctors and specialists vetted by the ministry to assist patients and offer health care services in remote areas. She said attending patients in remote areas helped to relieve referral hospitals 

“This partnership ensures that specialists in pediatrics, HIV, nutrition, surgery, orthopedics, psychologists, TB are flown to outreach sites every month,” she said. Ms McAllister said the initiative had been well received in villages and settlements and further giving the patients hope that the health system cared about their health. 

Air Botswana marketing manager, Ms Thapelo Moribame stated that they had allocated six tickets on their scheduled flight services for doctors and specialists ever since the partnership. 

She said to date the airline had spent a ticket value of about P400 000 on Airborne Lifeline Foundation. She indicated that as Botswana celebrated 50 years, Air Botswana wanted to be recognised as an entity that supported community projects. 

Baylor Clinic outreach nurse coordinator, Ms Boitumelo Thuto who travelled with the doctors to remote areas on a monthly basis, stated that many lives had been touched by this initiative adding that patients continued to express their gratitude. She said some specialists left their own clinics to join them in remote areas to do voluntary work. 

She noted that they had received positive feedback from communities because after counseling sessions with children, parents told specialists they had seen behavioural change in their children. ENDS