28 Apr 2019

Collaboration between government and the private sector is a crucial aspect in ensuring effective service delivery, says Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Alfred Madigele.

He said it was against this backdrop that the ministry was working hard towards enhancing such partnerships, which will go a long way in reducing the burden from government.

Dr Madigele was speaking at the handing over of Tsonyane Clinic, which Debswana Jwaneng mine upgraded with P2 million. The new structure now comprises a total of 11 rooms, which will be used to serve the Tsonyane community and catchment areas of Seherelela and Lobutse.

“My ministry is working very hard in finding ways to actively expand collaboration with the private sector to enhance service delivery. Therefore Debswana Jwaneng mine’s efforts are in the right direction,” he said.

He noted that the company’s gesture was aligned to government’s objective of improving the health sector by upgrading health posts to clinics, among others. He therefore appealed to other stakeholders to support government initiatives aimed at improving lives.

Dr Madigele noted that the upgrading of Tsonyane Clinic came at the opportune time when the health ministry was working towards restructuring primary healthcare and promoting universal health coverage. 

However, he said even though they were making strides in providing accessibility to healthcare services, there was still a long way to go in upgrading health posts to fully-fledged clinics.

“In view of universal health coverage we are doing well as a country because more than 90 per cent of Batswana have access to a health facility within a five-kilometre radius. 

However, we have many health posts which need to be upgraded to clinics,” he said.

He urged the communities of Tsonyane and the peripheries to ensure that the facility was well taken care of and maintained so that it could benefit them for a long time.

For his part, Jwaneng mine acting general manager Dr Mwamba Nsebula said he was delighted that the project was not only completed within time and budget, but also empowered local people who were engaged during construction. 

He said through Construction Industry Trust Fund the mine facilitated certification of the builders and wre now ready to compete with their counterparts in the market.

He said the Tsonyane project was one of their efforts to ease the burden of community development from the government by helping communities within the Jwaneng mine’s zone of influence.

“In the past we have looked upon Government to bear the burden of community development alone. Today I am proud to announce that we as Jwaneng mine have taken a giant step towards assisting the government by guaranteeing that communities around Jwaneng mine are sustainable to fend for themselves in the future,” he said.

He was optimistic that the clinic would contribute towards improved quality of health, hence increasing life expectancy of Tsonyane residents and those in the  surrounding areas.

Member of Parliament for Kanye South Mr Abram Kesupile commended Jwaneng mine for their contribution in improving health services in Tsonyane as well as enhancing skills of the local people. He said engaging them in such a big project would give them the opportunity to compete in a broader market in the future.

He encouraged residents to utilise the facility, but also take good care of it so that it could benefit future generations. ENDS