15 Nov 2021

The Ministry of Health and Wellness intends to strengthen the functional capacity of district health management teams (DHMT) .

Minister Edwin Dikoloti said this at an induction of DHMT coordinators and hospital superintendents on Saturday.

He said the five-day training covered aspects paramount for efficient health service delivery.

He said aspects to be covered included government regulations, procedures and practices, especially those related to coordinators and hospital superintendents mandate.

The coordinators and superintendents would also be sensitised on the management of resources including adherence to appropriation rules, protocols and accountability procedures.

Minister Dikoloti assured the health personnel that he would do his best to ensure that they were well facilitated for efficiency in their districts.

He acknowledged the health sector’s commitment and resilience in the containment of COVID-19, adding that the surge stretched the sector’s resources to the limit.

“I would like to commend you for the good fight through your mitigation efforts. Indeed you lived the President’s Reset Agenda priority number number, which is to save Botswana’s population from COVID-19,” he said.

Still on the Reset Agenda, Dr Dikoloti talked about priority number five that addressed mind set change.

He noted that during the State-of-the-Nation Address, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi stated that mind set change meant a drastic shift from the normal way of doing things to a more creative, efficient, agile and confident self.

Dr Dikoloti said the health sector having faced the most unprecedented crisis and perhaps the worst, it had learnt and continued to draw valuable lessons from COVID-19.

In her remarks, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Ms Grace Muzila said the induction would help close gaps in service delivery and give policy direction at operational level for attendees to deliver.

WHO Country Representative, Dr Josephine Namboze, thanked the health personnel for their resilience in the past 18 months of COVID-19, adding that although the pandemic was not yet over they worked really hard.

Dr Namboze thanked government for ensuring health services for all people living in the country.

She assured Botswana of WHO support through the provision of training and tools to improve health quality. ENDS