28 Feb 2021

The Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe says contact tracing has turned out to be challenging because greater Selebi Phikwe Zone is overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases.

He informed councillors during a Selebi Phikwe Town Council full council meeting recently that 372 health workers in the region were trained on contact tracing and the number was augmented by 134 volunteers from the Botswana Red Cross.

Mr Lelatisitswe stated that Greater Selebi Phikwe region, particularly Bobonong cluster was vast hence there was need to deploy more contact tracing volunteers in the area.

He said a rise in cases in the region was overwhelming for the contact tracing team and urged members of the community to adhere to health protocols.

Mr Lelatisitswe further informed councilors that isolation centres in the region were all full, hence the decision to have some positive cases on home isolation.

He said home isolation was for those with mild or no symptoms while those with underlying conditions were sent to centres for close monitoring by health workers.

He said 309 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Selebi Phikwe cluster were on home isolation, while 168 in Bobonong and 37 in Mmadinare were on home isolation.

Mr Lelatisitswe stated that the region had also observed an increase in positive cases in schools, adding that 78 cases on home isolation were students.

Monitoring of those on home isolation he acknowledged, was not as effective as before because health workers were overwhelmed and more attention was on those with underlying conditions.

In addition, he reported that the region had a shortage of health workers with a total of 31 doctors and 475 nurses and appealed to government departments to avail resources especially vehicles for use during emergencies.

For his part, Greater Selebi Phikwe Region District Health Management Team (DHMT) coordinator, Mr Mpaphi Mbulawa stated that the region was doing everything possible to ensure timely medical services.

He explained that doctors in the region were not confined to one area since a doctor in Bobonong could be sent to provide service in Selebi Phikwe.

He also pleaded with councilors to appeal to their communities not to flock the hospital and use other facilities, to allow health care providers to assist them speedily.

Councillors raised concern over the envisaged Selebi Phikwe hospital saying that it was long overdue.

They were also worried that change behavioural change was still lacking since attendance at funerals and weddings was still high. Ends