06 Apr 2017

Parliament has been informed that electricity will be extended to Matshumo Health Post storeroom during this financial year.

Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Dikgang Makgalemele said the plan to connect power to Mmatshumo drug room was delayed due to shortage of funds.

He said maintaining proper storage conditions for health commodities was vital to ensuring their quality, adding that the recommended storage conditions for most drugs was room temperature, “which is closely monitored on daily basis; those requiring refrigeration are kept in a refrigerator located in the main clinic.”

Mr Makgalemele explained that the current set up for monitoring the temperature does not compromise the quality of the drugs to pose any hazards to health.

Parliament further heard that the Mmatshumo Health Post was not fully electrified, but that the main part of the clinic was electrified.

The assistant minister said the store room was constructed through the Ipelegeng programme to provide additional space and that the local council had been engaged on several occasions to connect the room to the main building, but that this has not been done.

Furthermore, Mr Makgalemele said Boteti DHMT has a public health specialist who has reported on the situation at Mmatshumo.

MP Sethomo Lelatisitswe of Boteti East had asked the minister whether it was true that Mmatshumo Health Post was not fully electrified, that the air conditioners where these drugs were stored were not connected to electricity.

He also wanted to know what health standards say about drug storage and what dangers this arrangement of exposing drugs to excessive heat could pose to the health of the public.

He further asked if there was a public health specialist in Boteti Health Management Team who ever shared the above problem with the ministry, and he also wanted to know when the minister would rectify the anomaly. ENDS