27 Jun 2019

Government has no plans to construct another referral hospital in Gaborone during National Development Plan (NDP) 11.

According to the Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe, the ministry was however pursuing certain measures to address the need for additional referral hospitals.

Mr Lelatisitswe, who was answering a question in Ntlo ya Dikgosi on June 26, cited among the interventions that were being made, the upgrading of four district hospitals to serve as referral hospitals as well as equipping 24 clinics in the Gaborone catchment area in an effort to reduce workload at Princess Marina Hospital (PMH).

The four district hospitals earmarked for upgrading were Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital, Mahalapye Hospital, Sekgoma Memorial Hospital and Scottish Livingstone Hospital, Mr Lelatisitswe said.

The assistant minister stated that it was also envisaged that the opening of Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital would greatly reduce the workload at PMH.

On waiting periods at accidents and emergency units in hospitals, he indicated that the standard waiting times were divided in four categories depending on how critical the patient was.

He explained that critical patients were attended to immediately on arrival, while those deemed very urgent were attended to within 30 minutes.

Patients in categories deemed urgent and cold cases were seen in one hour and one to four hours respectively.

Molepolole region’s Kgosi Nametso Kopelo had asked when government would construct another referral hospital since PMH was overwhelmed.

Furthermore, he had wanted the assistant minister to state what the acceptable waiting periods were for patients to receive medical assistance at accidents and emergency units in hospitals.

Meanwhile, Mr Lelatisitswe said there were no plans to upgrade Tsabong Primary Hospital to a district hospital, but rather the hospital would be upgraded to a 70-bed hospital during NDP 11.

He said the project was initially proposed for implementation during the 2018/19 financial year but could not be accommodated in the budget due to ceiling constraints.

The assistant minister said the project would be considered in future subject to availability of funds.

Kgosi David Toto of Kgalagadi South had asked the minister when Tsabong hospital would be upgraded to a district hospital. 

Still in Ntlo ya Dikgosi, the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security Mr Fidelis Molao, told dikgosi that the ministry had no plans to allow farmers in Bokspits to slaughter livestock in their butcheries for sale.

Mr Molao said in order to protect the health of the public, livestock should be slaughtered in registered slaughter facilities, which adhered to hygiene requirements.

That, he added, would also allow the ministry to provide meat inspection services so that people could consume safe meat.

He said for meat to be exported to South Africa, it had to be from abattoirs and meat preparation plants that had been approved by the National Executive Officer of South Africa.

Furthermore, the minister indicated that the BMC Act allowed BMC to be the sole exporter of beef and beef products.

Kgosi Toto had asked when the ministry would make arrangements for farmers in Bokspits to slaughter livestock in their butcheries and transport the meat for sale to South Africa through Bokspits border post.

As for the question by Kgosi Peter Chika of Chobe Region on when the ministry would separate veterinary offices from staff houses for officers in the region, the minister said the ministry had no plans to separate the offices from the staff housing as the process would require a lot of funding.

He however said in other places in the region save for Parakarungu and Kachikau, staff houses had been separated from office blocks. Ends