04 Apr 2018

Mahalapye Hospice construction was funded by Global Fund and NACA to support the local Community Home Based Care volunteers, says the Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Dikgang Makgalemele.

Mr Makgalemele, who was answering a question by Mahalapye West MP Mr Joseph Molefe, said the structure of the hospice was completed in 2011 and handed over in 2012.

He said the hospice had not been utilised for almost 10 years because of financial constraints from Community Home Based Care volunteers.

The assistant minister explained that the hospice came into existence as an initiative of the local Community Home Based volunteer through the support of the Mahalapye District Health Management Teams (DHMT).

Mr Makgalemele said upon completion of the hospice by NACA, the Community Home Based Care volunteers were not in any position to run it due to lack of resources.

He pointed out that there had however been consultations going on between the Mahalapye DHMT and the Community Home Based Care volunteers to work out logistics of utilising the hospice.

“The hospice will operate immediately upon completion of the consultations between all the key stakeholders, Mahalapye DHMT, Mahalapye Community Home Based Care volunteers, Mahalapye District Commissioner and the chief representative,” he said.

The assistant minister disclosed that there was never a budget allocated for Community Home Based Care unit to run a hospice, adding however that the programme was under the Mahalapye DHMT and was assisted with funds to pay volunteers and to run workshops.

MP Molefe had asked if the minister was aware that the hospice building in Mahalapye for Community Home Based Care unit was completed more than 10 years ago but had never been utilised.

He wanted the minister to say who had funded the construction of the hospice, when the building was handed over to Mahalapye Community Home Based Care, and why the building had not been used.

Mr Molefe also wanted to know when the Community Home Based Care would operate from the building.

In addition, he had asked how much had been allocated to the unit in the four years from 2015 to 2018, as well as how the Community Home Based Care unit had utilised the allocated funds in the same period. ENDS