14 Feb 2022

It is important that youth are never left behind when critical issues of national interest such as the overview and outlook of the country’s economy are discussed, says assistant minister of Health and wellness, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe.

Speaking during Boitekanelo College budget speech review in Tlokweng recenty, Mr Lelatisitswe said young people were the future of this country and applauded Boitekanelo College for seeing it fit to host the budget speech review as an institution of higher learning.

“Furthermore I commend the institution for having your students as part of today’s audience,” he said.

Mr Lelatisitswe highlighted that budget speech had already been presented and the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Ms Peggy Serame had already stated how the budget had been allocated in pursuit of the ministry of Health and Wellness’s mandate of promoting and providing integrated, holistic and sustainable preventative, curative and rehabilitative quality health service to the nation.

He said as such Boitekanelo’s vision to change lives through quality health care education and training and the ministry had the same mandate to partner and constructively drive the health sector by providing quality health service to Batswana.

Furthermore, the assistant minister said this year’s budget just like the previous one, was presented at a time when the country was still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic which had posed mental, social and economic challenges to Batswana.

“The government has not been spared either, especially on the economic space,” he said.

Mr Lelatisitswe said although it was anticipated that 2021 would be a year of recovery, the country witnessed the opposite, as there was a hike in the number of people who had lost their lives during the mid-months of that year. He expressed that the increase of fatalities had brought a lot of uncertainty in all aspects of life.

Mr Lelatisitswe said for this reason, Minister Serame in her budget speech highlighted that the 2022/2023 had been framed around the imperatives of economic recovery and transformation.

Moreover, the assistant minister said the health ministry had been allocated the largest share of the budget, having been allocated 18.7 per cent of the proposed ministerial recurrent budget, amounting to P10.01 billion to provide comprehensive health care services including saving lives of Batswana from COVID-19.

Minister Lelatisitswe added that the allocated budget represented a significant growth of P2.11 billion or 26.7 per cent over the 2021/2022 approved budget.

Mr Lelatisitswe said 60 per cent of the budget, which was P6 billion was allocated for salaries and COVID-19.

He said the remaining 40 per cent amongst others, was allocated to drugs, medical aid fees for public service employees, utilities, subversions to parastatals and grants to mission hospitals.

Furthermore, minister Lelatisitswe stated that last year, the ministry in partnership with World Health Organisation received an emergency medical team from the UK.

He said the team was deployed to provide expertise and frontline response support in hospitals to help fight COVID-19 pandemic and it was during that time that the country’s need for specialised personnel was accentuated.

Mr Lelatisitswe said therefore, it was up to students as upcoming professionals, to see to it that such a gap was filled. ENDS