21 Sep 2016

The Minister of Health, Ms Dorcas Makgato says health promoting workplaces (HPW) are essential in the sense that they drive employers, employees and communities to join hands to improve the mental and physical health for the well-being of people at work.

Officiating at the Lobatse District Health Management Team (LDHMT) internal customer open day on September 20, Ms Makgato said the workplace should be prioritised as a setting for health promotion because of the large audience and influence on a person’s life.

The Sefhare–Ramokgonami MP said health and the well-being of employees at work could be achieved through a combination of improving the organisation and the working environment.

She also said to be successful, HPW should include the principles of participation, integration and inclusiveness, adding that all staff has to be involved.
The workplace health promotion has to be integrated in all important decisions and in all the areas of the organisations.

Ms Makgato further said the health of workers was also affected by non-work related factors such as social ills and financial issues facing families.

She advised that stakeholders from various sectors should be engaged to provide counselling and skills against all those odds to provide guidance where possible.

Furthermore she encouraged the employees to continue with their desire to drive the ministry’s mandate to provide quality health services to maintain the momentum that the health sector has made since independence.

She said the ministry was mandated through different health structures across the country to provide quality health care and skills development among health care workers.

On other issues, she said it was very critical for employees to be educated on issues of corruption so that they all shun corruption to protect the country’s resources.

In his remarks, Lobatse deputy mayor, Mr Francis Mokwena lauded LDHMT for their efforts to hold internal customer day, adding that it allowed staff share ideas how to better service delivery in their organisation.

He also said Lobatse leadership would work cordially with them to close all the existing gaps in the health sector.

When giving the objectives of the day, LDHMT head, Ms Julia Mokgatle said they started customer open day last year to appreciate achievements made within the health sector since independence. Ends