16 Mar 2021

Parliament has been informed that government is in the process of acquiring its own radiotherapy machines to be housed at Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH).

The Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe said the machines were currently not in use pending the commissioning of the hospital. 

“It is my ministry’s plan to have these machines and other similar equipment functional during the next financial year (2021/22),” he said.

Mr Lelatisitswe who was answering a question in Parliament, said for the financial year 2020/21, from April 2020 to February 8, 2021, government had on patient referrals spent P155.4m at Bokamoso Private Hospital, P93m at Gaborone Private Hospital, P46m at Sedilega Private Hospital and P21.6m at South Africa.  

Mr Lelatisitswe stated that at present, there was no plan to designate any of the clinics for oncology care. 

“There are currently four cancer sites offering comprehensive oncology (cancer) services in the country. 

These are, certainly, not enough, but those available have been located strategically for ease access at Princess Marina Hospital, Nyangabgwe Hospital, Sekgoma Memorial Hospital and Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital,” said Mr Lelatisitswe.

The ministry has noted and acknowledged the concern raised by the MP for Gaborone Bonnington South constituency, he said.

“We will factor that envisaged improvement in the ministry’s vision of providing Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC),” he said.

The Gaborone Bonnington South Member of Parliament, Mr Christian Greeff had asked the assistant minister to update Parliament on the amount spent so far, on patients referred to Bokamoso Private Hospital, Gaborone Private Hospital and South Africa. 

Mr Greeff also wanted to establish when government would have its own radiotherapy machine and whether apart from assisting patients with chemotherapy, was it not high time to have a clinic specifically for cancer patients, like the one for diabetic and hypertension patients at block 6 in Gaborone. Ends