12 Nov 2019

Kweneng West Community Home Based Care (CHBC) officers have donated toiletry, blankets, clothes, shoes and grocery to home based care patients.

Speaking during the handing over of the donation at Letlhakeng recently, the Coordinator of CHBC in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Mr Stalin Makathayi applauded health officers spearheading CHBC in Kweneng West for meeting the needs of their patients.

He said the officers had proved their commitment to serving Batswana and had beyond the normal duties. 

Mr Makathayi further said the donation would go a long way in meeting the needs of patients more especially that many of them cannot do anything for themselves.

The coordinator applauded the officers for providing all the necessary services to their patients especially that CHBC needed a good management plan.

Mr Makathayi added that CHBC patients needed a constant health service provision and all patients needed to be registered and be taken care of with the help of home based care volunteers.

He said he was humbled when he learnt that the home based care volunteers had their own committee which helped to run their affairs.

He commended them for doing a sterling job in caring for the patients at home without expecting anything in return.

Mr Makathayi underscored that the CHBC programme  aimed to continue caring for them after their release from hospital.

He said he had received some complaints that some patients were not taken care of at home and advised health officers to ensure that it did not happen.

The coordinator further said there was a management plan to continue caring for patients and providing medication for them whilst at home.

Nevertheless he commended health officers and volunteers of CHBC for doing a great job as he had not received any complaints of negligence from patients in Kweneng west.

He stressed that patients had the right to be taken care of and be checked at home to see how they were doing.

Mr Makathayi said those who were living with the patients are the lead care takers and should provide an update health officials on how the patients were doing.

He further advised health officers to make sure that the volunteers were not owed transport allowances and they were also equipped with the necessary skills for provision of quality health service.

He shared that the new Integrated Community Based Home care guidelines were to be completed,  signed and would soon be operational.

Kweneng West CHBC coordinator Ms Masego Monyatsi said the objective of the day was to give donations to their patients whom they had identified as being in need.

She said they donated to 50 identified patients out of the 150 patients in Letlhakeng sub-district.

Ms Monyatsi said they had observed that some patients were in need of help during their visits.

The coordinator said they had 106 volunteers who assisted 20 days in a month working 3 hours per day.

Ms Monyatsi expressed gratitude to all stakeholders who made the day a success and all those who donated to them.

In his welcome remarks Kgosi Rantsimane Banyatsi said he was very happy for the gifts the health officers gave the patients.

He said it takes a compassionate heart for public officers to extend a helping hand and reaching out to the community they serve.

Nevertheless, he expressed concern that  Letlhakeng residents did not come to support and witness the good gesture . Ends