20 Dec 2017

District Health Management Team coordinator, Dr Malebogo Pusoentsi has said mobile stops are part of efforts by Ministry of Health and Wellness to expand its services to communities that are not easy to reach to ensure universal coverage.

Dr Pusoentsi indicated that the package provided through mobile stops were of primary care and nurse led.

Dr Pusoentsi was responding to a question asked by councillor for Bojanala, Mr Luke Motlaleselelo who wanted to know when would DHMT start dispensing ARV drugs to residents of Ditshiping settlement. 

She explained that minimum package provided included consultation and dispensing; child welfare clinic and immunisation; sexual and reproductive health; maternal health and health education.

She further stated that ARV dispensing was individualised as part of the control mechanism, saying in the event, the mobile stop was attended to by a nurse with ARV dispensing skills and that arrangements were usually made for known patients to be attended to during mobile stops.

Dr Pusoentsi further said  DHMT would continue to expand its primary care package to ensure that services provided were comprehensive.

Cllr Matsaudi Matsaudi of Shakawe/Mohembo ward also asked what was being done to address unavailability of paediatric drugs in health facilities and was informed that paediatric suspension syrup had been in short supply.

“The district continues to use its micro-procurement vote to meet the shortfall of Central Medical Stores (CMS). It remains the responsibility of the district to ensure that patients get the relevant medication in the most reasonable time within their locality as the DHMT continue to rationalise stock availability across all facilities to ensure equitable distribution of drugs to meet the community needs,” Dr Pusoentsi said.

She revealed that preparations for malaria outbreak in the district started around October, noting that spraying of homesteads also started on time.

With regard to CD4 counts machine, she admitted that the machine was out of service, but acknowledged that currently it was operating as expected. 

On average, she said the machine was operating 80 per cent of the time.

Dr Pusoentsi also noted that upgrading of Toteng clinic was scheduled for 2018/19 financial year, noting that there was a delay in leases, but managed to hand all the necessary documents for approval before kickstarting the project. There was a concern about neglected health welfare of employees working at safari camps in the delta as it was indicated that they were consulted through telephone when sick.

But Dr Pusoentsi explained that at camps, it was an issue of occupational health and emphasised that as health practitioners, it was their mandate to provide primary care to all Batswana.

She said telephonic consultation could only happen if it was a doctor to doctor or doctor to nurse, adding that if it was a patient, he/she could be given an advice for certain hours and after that should be reviewed physically. ENDS