12 Jun 2017

Thamaga councillors have lashed out at Scotish Livingston Hospital superintendent, Dr Kitenge Kalenga demanding answers on what they termed  ‘serious shortage of blankets’ at Thamaga Primary Hospital despite a recent report by the district officer that sought to put things into perspective.

This was revealed during the ongoing Kweneng District Council session recently.

Councillors dismissed answers  from the hospital superintendent, saying the report was not a true reflection of what was on the ground.

Councillors stressed that the situation at the hospital was despicable as patients were bringing blankets from home to keep them warm from the cold. 

They also stated that although it was a long standing problem, the hospital superintendent was not willing to give them genuine answers.  

They also said the shortage of blankets was worsened by the fact that there was no laundry unit at the hospital and that bed linen took long to be cleaned and that in the process, patients would go without blankets. 

They wanted to know why the foreign company that had won the laundry tender was not effective.

Councillor for Thamaga North, Mr Palelo Motaosane said the Ministry of Health and Wellness was not doing anything about the state of Thamaga Primary Hospital.

He said they were getting lots of answers and different opinions in regards to the hospital, adding that “that leaves a lot to be desired.”

He further said there was a contradiction of what they saw on the ground and the statistics they were getting.

“Those blankets are not there, it takes ages to wash them because they are dirty, and that is why people are bringing their own blankets.”

For his part, the councillor for Thamaga West, Mr Molatedi Selala said the hospital needed a managerial plan on laundry and that management should also provide remedial measures regarding shortage of blankets.

On other issues, councillors were also not happy about the response they got from Mr Kalenga on the state of some of the clinics in Kweneng that were dilapidated.

In particular, they cited Mogoditshane Lekgwapheng and Kopong clinics among others.

Councillors slammed Dr Kalenga’s response on the state of the dilapidated clinics when he said that maintenance was the responsibility of the Department of Building Services.

Councillor for Lentsweletau West, Mr Botokanyana Motoroko differed with Dr Kalenga, saying that procedure dictated that the user department should request for maintenance with regards to old buildings and not the other way round

Responding to their concerns, Dr Kalenga said patients did not like the blankets they gave them because they looked down upon them and prefered to bring their own blankets.

He, however, discouraged patients to bring their own blankets, saying the hospital was a high risk area in terms of infections.

Commenting on the tender awarded to a foreign company, he said the awarding of tenders was at the discretion of the ministry. ENDS