02 Feb 2020

First Lady, Ms Neo Masisi has pleaded with the local business community to join hands with government to promote, improve and change the landscape of the health sector in the country.

Delivering a keynote address at a consultative meeting, Ms Masisi cited the commencement of the Botswana-Baylor Clinic, a collaboration formed between government and Baylor College of Medicine, Texas (USA) in 2003. It was in response to the then rampant HIV infections in Botswana, she added.

Ms Masisi said Botswana-Baylor Clinic had started seeing pediatrics cancer and blood disorder patients as far back as 2007 and had since grown substantially to become a national programme.

“The programme has treated over 1 000 patients who would otherwise have been referred to South Africa, which is extremely high cost to the government,” she said.

Nonetheless, Ms Masisi noted that despite all concerted efforts, it was clear that the outcomes of the treatment programme were well below those of the developed world. She noted that there were glaring gaps in the provision of services as compared to their counterparts in the developed world.

In recognising the health disparities, she said, Global HOPE had since set out to change the situation in relation to childhood cancer and blood related challenges in Sub-Sahara Africa.

The First Lady noted that Texas Children’s hospital cancer and Hermatology Centers, Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatric Aids Initiative and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation had embarked on a journey to give hope to children by launching the Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence) programme.

Ms Masisi also highlighted that the lesson learned from the HIV response were now used to optimise the current childhood cancer programming in Botswana, and there were plans to train clinicians, build a system for care and construct a state of the art Centre of Excellence for children with cancer and blood disorders in Botswana.

She said it was an extremely challenging task and extremely ambitious, given the resource requirements, adding that could be achieved through collaborative efforts especially given the overriding aims to ensure that children enjoy their right to life and right to dignity.

Ms Masisi sensitised lawmakers, the business community, civil society, individuals and other stakeholders on the reality of childhood cancer and blood disorders, urging them to join hands and assist those already involved in this remarkable and demanding task of improving the cancer situation in Botswana.

For his part, medical director- Global Hope Botswana Programme, Dr Jeremy Slone said the idea was to bridge the gap of childhood cancer and blood disorders (which is mostly leukemia).

“We are working with the Botswana government in this initiative to transform care for children with cancer and blood diseases in the sub- Saharan Africa,” he said.

“The idea is to bring the expertise from Texas Children’s Cancer Hospital to educate and train Pediatric Hematology Oncology specialists, nurses, medical officers and other critically important sub-specialties (surgery and pharmacy).

By doing so Global HOPE will enable the local workforce to provide the highest level of care and multidisciplinary approach that is characteristic of PHO care,” said Dr Slone.

Meanwhile, the executive director of Botswana-Baylor Clinic, Dr Mogomotsi Matshaba stated that from the HIV era, they learnt that the government could not do it alone.

“It takes joint efforts of society to fight any disease,” he said. ENDS