30 Jul 2018

Health staff have been implored to look after their own health for them to be able to execute their mandate of saving lives properly.

In an interview on the sidelines of the health fair in Tutume for nine districts over the weekend, the Tutume District Health Management Team coordinator Dr Irvin Kgetse said it had come to their attention that their staff tended to forget that they too had a responsibility to look after their wellbeing.

Dr Kgetse asserted that the majority of their staff worked under a lot of pressure, resulting from the stressful nature of their work.

He thus said from the pressures of work and social life, some ended up failing to cope with their own lives and fail to manage their wellbeing resulting in failure to execute their work responsibilities. 

He added that their major mandate was to save lives and in cases where one was not healthy psychologically or even physically, they would ultimately fail to do their work effectively and efficiently.

He therefore noted that as a result, the leadership decided to have health fair activities, so that staff could easily access the services they rendered to others and even some help from financial institutions for their own benefit. 

Dr Kgetse said through the fair, they wanted to sensitise health staff and help them understand that they were part of the community and what affected the community could also affect them, hence they should be always willing and ready to go for help, just like they encouraged members of the community to.

He said they had engaged different non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to partake in and fund the activities for the fair, revealing that the Ministry of Health and Wellness had no given budget for such activities.

Dr Kgetse said districts fund raised on a rotational basis themselves, with one DHMT hosting the event with the support of others.

Meanwhile in his welcome remarks, Tutume Sub-district Council chairperson, Councillor Ishmael Mokgethi said health issues came first in every person’s life despite their profession, noting that no one could do anything if they were not physically or mentally fit.

He urged communities to understand that health staff were people as well, who faced challenges, affecting every person.

Mr Mokgethi thus said it was important that even when they visited health facilities, members of the community should go there with the understanding that nurses and doctors needed respect as well to get the necessary services. 

This year’s event attracted over 500 health staff from the nine DHMTs being the host Tutume, Gantsi, Maun, Mahalapye, Palapye, North East, Chobe, Selebi Phikwe and Serowe. 

The fair was held under theme: ‘Taking care of caregivers is paramount to the quality of care/service provided to health care clients. ENDS