01 Dec 2016

 The Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness says village heath committees (VHC) and other committees played a key role in primary health success.

Responding to a question in Parliament on Tuesday from the MP for Francistown East, Mr Buti Billy; Mr Dikgang Makgalemele explained that over time, their participation has been declining in some district due to factors such as lack of incentives.

He said one of the priority areas their new roadmap is a paradigm to preventive health services with emphasis on primary health care.

He noted that village health committees still have critical role to play as the ministry strategically shift to resuscitate primary health care in delivering health services.

He noted that as part of their effort to revitalise village health committees, his ministry decided to embark on programme of empowering VHCs and other community based organisations, through the provision of livelihood skills to assist them sustain self-managed businesses that can improve the social and economic status of their communities as well as address poverty and other factors that impact on health. 

Mr Makgalemele further said that is in addition to their primary role in supporting the health services in their communities. Currently, he said, 20 umbrella village health committees have been trained in pottery, recycling using broken bottles/glasses, and making jewelry.

MP Billy has asked the minister to brief the House on the status of village and wards health committees and other committees supporting health interventions in Botswana as well as to state the situation in Francistown East Constituency. ENDS