06 Aug 2017

Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Dikgang Makgalemele says the total number of patients with critical conditions of the heart, kidney or brain attended to by government hospitals over five years is 1 928.

Responding to a question in Parliament, Mr Makgalemele said of these 214 were cardiac, 1 007 kidney and 707 neuro/brain citing that there were no referrals to Namibia and Zimbabwe.

He said 1007 patient were referred to South Africa and of these, 106 were cardiac, 548 kidney and 353 neurological (brain) cases.

Mr Makgalemele said there were no recorded cases of patients who died following surgery in government hospitals in Botswana, however, 8 patients referred to South Africa did not survive the surgery adding that he is not aware of any case in the public sector that resulted in professional liability investigations.

Member of Parliament for Kanye South, Mr Abram Kesupile had asked the minister to state the critical conditions of heart, kidney or brain who needed surgery and who have been attended to by hospitals in Botswana in the past five years.

He also wanted the minister to state the number of patients referred to specialists in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, those attended to in Botswana who did not survive the surgery and for which there were professional liability investigations. ENDS