30 Mar 2020

Kweneng region has registered 18 suspected cases of coronavirus, says Kweneng Regional Health Management Team coordinator, Ms Chipo Petlo.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing at Scottish Livingstone Hospital on March 27, Ms Petlo said about 13 cases had been registered in Kweneng East while four were registered in the Thamaga area and one in Kweneng West.

Out of the number, only four suspected cases were tested and two tested negative while two results were still pending.

Meanwhile, two isolation centres have been identified in the region. The centres are the TB isolation ward at Scottish Livingstone Hospital and a newly built clinic at Kumakwane donated by the Dada Foundation last year.

The two facilities have 13 beds combined. Remarking on the state of preparedness of the region, Kweneng Regional Public Health specialist, Dr

Terrence Mukuhwa said it was the responsibility of everyone to combat the pandemic.

He said the region had so far sensitised leadership structures on COVID-19 as well as health workers at different levels.

About 309 clinical and non-clinical staff have been trained.

He emphasised that training was still ongoing as the region was vast.

Dr Mukuhwa further stated that health workers had been trained on everything, including how to manage cases when they came to facilities as well as how to collect and transport samples.

They have also been given guidelines to properly identify and isolate suspects and transport them to where they needed to be seen for further management.

Dr Mukuhwa further stated that there were many teams that had been identified and capacitated to coordinate everything to do with prevention and control measures of the pandemic.

Laboratories in the region, he said, had also been capacitated to handle specimens, to package them and send them where they needed to be sent.  

Pharmacies have quantified, procured and distributed all drugs and medical supplies required for the management of suspects.

Furthermore, he said communities at different levels from Kweneng East to Kweneng West had all been sensitised, adding that they would engage and update the media to disseminate correct information to the public.

In efforts to educate the public, he said they had distributed education and communication materials ranging from posters, brochures and flyers in all health facilities. Dr Mukuhwa advised the public to go to any health facility in the country for health attention, adding that that there were already temporary isolation areas in the facilities.ENDS