04 Apr 2017

The target period to consult with a specialist on referral to Nyangabgwe and Princess Marina Referral hospitals is two months, the Minister of Health and Wellness, Ms Dorcas Makgato has said.

However, due to shortage of specialists, she said the average waiting time for specialists was about seven months in six of the specialists areas, being: physiotherapy, medicine, gynaecology, surgery, orthopaedics and urology.

This, the minister said, was attributed to the fact that specialists were not readily available in the job market and “the high turn-over of specialists we experience in our establishment.

Notwithstanding this, we continue to recruit specialists and also enroll our medical officers into specialist training programmes (residency training) in the University of Botswana to address the situation,” she added.

Maun East MP, Mr Kostantinos Markus had asked the minister if she was aware of the period taken for patients transferred to Nyangabgwe and Princess Marina Referral hospitals to consult with specialists. He also wanted to know what would the minister do to address the problem and when. ENDS