08 Jul 2020

The director of inspectorate at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Mr Setso Setso has presented the proposed Private Hospital and Nursing Homes Act Bill to members of Ntlo ya Dikgosi. 

Briefing dikgosi on July 7, Mr Setso said the act would give the health inspectorate a mandatory role of formulation of regulatory policies, standards and guidelines for private and public health facilities and re-enforce compliance to standards and norms. He said the envisaged act would also give the health inspectorate a mandatory role to conduct periodic audits, inspections and assessments of health facilities and programmes to ensure adherence to set health quality standards and norms. 

Mr Setso further said the proposed act would delineate the regulatory and implementation functions by establishing a body corporate which would play the regulatory role. 

Furthermore, he said they would regulate both private and public health facilities at all levels, adding that the act would provide for various licensing fees as well as penalty fees, and the establishment of legal appointment of multi-disciplinary communities to advice the board. 

Mr Setso said the existing act was about safeguarding of quality and patient safety, adding that the health inspectorate did not have much power, especially when it came to regulation of health powers. In response, dikgosi welcomed the proposed act.

They said  they long desired that all health facilities had enough nurses and doctors for Batswana to receive quality assistance. 

Kgosi Rebagamang Rancholo of Tutume region decried that patients suffered because there were never enough health personnel to attend to them. He called for doctors in health posts to curb transfers of patients that sometimes ended up with them not being assisted on time. 

Chairperson of Ntlo ya Dikgosi, Kgosi Puso called for patient safety and better quality of care. Ends