07 Aug 2018

Residents of Mmamhiko settlement near Gamodubu in the Kweneng District have expressed gratitude to government for bringing health services closer to them through a mobile clinic.

The residents indicated that the mobile clinic, which has been operational for a year, has relieved them of the long distance they had to travel to villages such as Metsimotlhabe, Gamodubu and Molepolole to access health facilities.

They said the constant travelling was costly to them, and that in some instances they would miss vital medical appointments due to lack of transport money.

One of the residents, Ms Bonolo Kenosi said despite the fact that the mobile clinic could not bring all the services, they were nonetheless happy with the little that they receive.

She said the initiative was also helpful to them in that their children no longer missed their monthly check-ups while residents can also access services regularly. Principal Registered Nurse based at Gamodubu, Ms Lelekanye Lesego said the mobile stop was a government initiative whose aim was to bring services closer to the people.

“The initiative was recommended to the settlement after statistics in some clinics in Molepolole and Gamodubu indicated that missing of regular monthly check-ups was high in the greater areas of Gamodubu, particularly Mmamhiko, and this rendered record-keeping a challenge,” she said.

She said services currently provided at the mobile stop included, among others, tests for hypertension and diabetes.

“We are glad to note that the turn up is normally good and patients are not defaulting as they used to,” she said.

Ms Lesego also said they distribute food rations to children, which she advised parents to take good care of so that they would last for the whole month as the budget dictates.

She said however, that they were concerned by high drug usage in the area, especially by the youth despite the free education they provide.

She said the culprits often took too long to seek medical assistance when the drugs start to affect their health. ENDS