28 Feb 2022

Botswana Family Welfare Association (BOFWA) has raised concerns over  youth reluctance to utilise the youth friendly clinic. 

The Clinic, situated at BOFWA premises at Kanye was opened last year through partnership with the Department of Health Management Team in a bid to improve the challenges that young people usually experience at the our normal clinics.

The Centre’s supervisor, Mr Tebogo Phillip encouraged the youth to take advantage and utilise the clinic.

In an interview recently, he said since the opening of the clinic last year, the numbers of youth who turned up to access the service was low.

“This clinic is an answer to young people’s pleas and complaints about the treatment they usually receive at our normal centers. The service was provided to ensure that young people are free to visit and have access to reliable health care,” he said.

“In a day, we only attend about two to five patients who come for clinical services. There are some days where we can close without having seen any clients,” he said.

Mr Phillip attributed the low turn up to the fact that most of the youth in Kanye were not aware that such service existed in their association.

However, he noted that they have continued to sensitize more to access the Youth Friendly Services, adding that besides creating a conducive environment for the youth, the services were the same as those offered at the clinic.

“In reaching out to our clients, we visit schools and also conduct HIV testing in our community where we also inform them about our clinical services at BOFWA,” he said.

He also said they  share relevant information through their BOFWA facebook page with the hope that they will receive more clientele as their target group are active on social media.

While deliberating on the services provided at the centre, he said the available services included consultation and medical dispensary, adding that they also offered family planning methods and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment.

Mr Phillip noted that the only services not available are dispensary of anti-retroviral drugs and midwifery.

Meanwhile, Mr Phillip shared that they were also promoting couple testing, adding that their statistics indicated that there were few number of people who tested as couples.

He said they were working with the Office of the District AIDS Coordinator and have since proposed funds so as to reach out to the surrounding villages such as Lerolwane and Gasita.

Mr Phillip indicated that the funds would be utilised to purchase incentives as a token of appreciation with the view to encouraging those who tested as couples.

“In most cases people usually test as individuals then later bring their partners after testing, which arise suspicions that they may be involved in multiple partners,” he said.

Mr Phillip said as a way of contributing to the national demand for condoms they have as BOFWA offered condoms which they were currently selling.

He said since the comdoms used to be free, they were still establishing how they could easily sell. 

“Currently we are selling them in bulk to filling station and some selected supermarkets with the aim of contributing to the demand for condoms,” he said.

He indicated that this was crucial as shortage of condoms might lead to daunting consequences such as high prevalence of Human Immune Virus (HIV). BOPA