27 Jan 2019

Vice President Slumber Tsogwane has encouraged Kanye Seventh Day Adventist Hospital (KSDAH) staff to continue serving Batswana with love, respect and dignity.

Mr Tsogwane said recedntly when handing over an appreciation trophy awarded by Mr Taolo Moshaga to the hospital management.

The objective of the award was to appreciate the hospital for the service it continued to render to the nation since inception in 1922.

Mr Tsogwane explained that it was with how much love one did their job as opposed to how hard they worked that mattered.

He impressed upon the staff that God in his infinite wisdom had placed them in their positions as a way of calling them to serve the nation and would reward each one accordingly in his own time.

Mr Tsogwane, also Member of Parliament for Boteti West, said the award would go a long way in motivating staff to work harder, knowing that someone could be watching.

He wished God could someday count Mr Moshaga’s tireless nation building efforts for righteousness.

Mr Tsogwane commended Mr Moshaga for the insight, adding that people seldom showed appreciation for the special little things in life.

He said showing gratitude was a noble thing.

Mr Tsogwane also thanked the mission hospital for twinning with government to provide quality health services to Batswana despite shortage of resources. He said President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi reiterated the importance of health and wellness during his maiden national address last year.

He said the scarcity of specialists in the health sector remained a serious challenge and had consequently resulted in increased referrals of patients to other countries, especially South Africa.

He said government planned to provide high level services in areas such as cardiac surgery and organ transplant, among others within the country.

To this end, the VP said government had taken a deliberate decision to increase training of medical specialists and provide appropriate medical equipment. Mr Tsogwane said government was also committed to establishing the Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital at the University of Botswana as a centre of excellence and medical hub.

The move, he said, would substantially reduce the number of referral cases and the budget thereof.

For his part, former Vice President Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe likewise applauded Mr Moshaga for the gesture, adding that good health was good wealth. He said Mr Moshaga’s track record spoke volumes.

He shared that Mr Moshaga once provided additional teaching space to primary schools in Mmadinare and Damchujenaa while he (Kedikilwe) was still the area MP. He further described Mr Moshaga as a humble servant of the nation.

The village elder, Mr Basimanyana Masire said KSDAH, which was the first modern hospital in the country, brought life to the Southern District. He said late royals among them Kgosi Tshekedi, Kgosi Letsholathebe, Kgosi Mangope of South Africa, his late brother and former president Sir Ketumile Masire were once admitted at the hospital.

Mr Masire said the hospital boasted a rich history of service to the nation and challenged the current crop of staff to take the institution to the next level.

When receiving the award on behalf of KSDAH, pastor Kenaope Kenaope explained that as a mission hospital their philosophy was grounded on the basis that Christ healed the sick and also cared for them physically.

He said government assisted the hospital with funds and human resource after partnering in 1975.

He said the relationship was mutually beneficial.

Mr Moshaga explained that his gesture was a token of appreciation for the unfailing service the hospital had rendered to Batswana for years.

He also urged staff to continue serving the nation with love. He said without love one’s actions were all in vain.

He further challenged Batswana to ask not what the nation was doing for them, but what they were doing for the nation.

Mr Moshaga said the current generation should learn from the fact that past generations did great things for their families and the nation despite the meagre resources they had.

Meanwhile, a renowned pediatrician, Dr Patson Mazonde urged medical staff to continue providing Batswana with quality service.

He said back in the years, being a medical professional was more of a calling than just a job.

He said his mother was once operated on at KSDAH, but inadvertently had internal bleeding.

But because the professionals cared so much about patients, Dr Karl Seligman, who had carried out the procedure visited the patient the following day, although he was off duty, attended to the patient, discovered the problem and consequently assisted the patient who is now 95 years old.

Dr Seligman, who also attended the event, told BOPA in an interview that his career was inspired by Christ.

He said Christ spent most of his time healing the sick.

He said he still regarded Christ as the supreme doctor.

He said if medical professionals could emulate Christ, service would improve exponentially.

KSDAH was established by Arthur Karetchmar, a medical missionary doctor in 1922.

The institution later incepted Kanye College of Nursing in 1947. The hospital provides preventative, curative, rehabilitative and spiritual care to the nation.Ends