26 Oct 2017

Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Dikgang Makgalemele has implored Kang residents to venture into health and wellness-tourism related businesses in order to intensify personal growth.

Addressing residents of Kang during a kgotla meeting on October 25, Mr Makgalemele said since hospitality business in Kang has made a boom; the time has arrived to expand their businesses by merging businesses that could consequently increase the demand in health and wellness products and hospitality services.

Meanwhile, Shoshong legislator also encouraged residents to adopt healthy lifestyles to avoid contracting non-communicable diseases that he said had taken a toll in the health sector.

He encouraged them to develop good food habits and daily physical activities to maintain healthy lives.

Further, he encouraged them to set up back yard gardens in their homesteads that would come cheap as compared to buying vegetables on daily basis at the market.

The assistant minister also encouraged them to discuss health issues with their entire family members for them to guard against the scourge of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

He said government continued to spend a lot of money on procuring medications for different ailments, adding that if people were considerate about their health, less money would be spent or be diverted to other development undertakings.

Government spends about P800 million per year on the procurement of Antiretroviral drugs but as for the non-communicable diseases, the budget multiples even more, said Mr Makgalemele.

Therefore, he encouraged people to take charge of their lives, by engaging in regular checkups so that if diagnosed with an ailment they could be treated on time.

On other issues, Mr Makgalemele condemned the tendency by men to test themselves through their female counterparts, adding that the act caused regressions on efforts made to combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

He however called on the village leadership to arrange kgotla meetings to address men about health issues, since they were lagging behind on testing and performing safe male circumcision.

The assistant minister encouraged communities to exercise the CATCH initiative that seeks to strengthen the role of community leaders, which he said would help communities to join hands to control the spread of HIV/AIDS.

He encouraged Village Health Committees and Home Based Care committees to conduct house to house campaigns to intensify awareness about HIV/AIDS amongst community members to meet the UNAIDS 90:90:90 target.

Moreover, he encouraged expectant mothers to know their HIV status.

“When the mother is infected, they should enroll for PMTCT to prevent the child from getting infected,” he added.

In her welcome remarks, Kgosi Basadi Seipone pleaded with the assistant minister to consider building a hospital in their locality.

She emphasised that their clinic received an influx of patients from Southern, Ghanzi, and Kweneng districts and also extended services to tourists who use the Trans-Kalahari highway.

Commenting, Mr Power Gaesiewe decried shortage of doctors at their village clinic, noting that they were being served by two doctors.

Mr Gaesiewe said they encounter problems when one doctor goes on leave as they are expected to provide services to other five villages. ENDS