23 Nov 2021

Debswana Jwaneng Mine Hospital has completed construction of an oxygen plant dispensing 500 litres per minute in readiness for a possible fourth COVID-19 wave.

Officially opening a Jwaneng Town Council forum yesterday, the mayor, Ms Olga Ditsie said the plant  would contribute significantly to closing the gap between demand and supply of oxygen and save lives.

Ms Ditsie said during the peak of the pandemic, shortage of oxygen countrywide was one of the most concerning issues.

“When delivering the 2021 State of the Nation address, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi stated that in preparation for a possible fourth wave, the country will continue working on improving resilience of the response through provision of oxygen plants, ventilators, concentrators and training of high care health workers in district and primary hospitals,” she said.

She commended the hospital for being proactive. 

Ms Ditsie also hailed Debswana for its role in fighting the pandemic in the area.

She said the company’s efforts included re-purposing its facilities such as the C-Mess, initially a residential place for mine employees, into an isolation centre.

Mayor Ditsie noted that following a successful internal COVID-19 vaccination exercise targeting Debswana and business partner employees, the mine had embarked on a campaign to vaccinate community members.

“To this end, a makeshift vaccination site has been launched and mounted at Jwaneng Choppies mall targeting eligible community members who are over 18 years.

The purpose of this campaign is to sensitise community members on the importance and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and to offer the vaccine on site,” she said.

Pointing out that vaccine preferences remained a challenge leading to low vaccination rate, Ms Ditsie pleaded with the community to support government’s efforts by taking any vaccine on offer.

Giving an update on the ongoing vaccination drive, Ms Ditsie said a total of 32 142 COVID-19 doses had been received and 19 595 people had been vaccinated.

“From the total number of vaccinated people, 16 411 are fully vaccinated while 3 184 are awaiting their second dose,” she said.

Meanwhile Ms Ditsie has pleaded with the Jwaneng community to play its role in waste management to sustain waste collection.

That could only be through paying for services rendered, she said. ends