21 Mar 2022

Francistown’s Riverside Hospital has been described as a success story demonstrating Batswana’s ability to independently make outstanding achievements in the service of fellow citizens.

Speaking during a familiarisation tour of the facility on Saturday,  Vice President Slumber Tsogwane commended owners Dr Kgosidialwa Mompati and his wife  Dr Dorcus Mompati for driving government’s Public Private Partnership initiative.

The facility, he said, presented science, innovation and technology - the  very direction government was trying to drive the economy.

Vice President Tsogwane was  referring to ongoing government efforts to transform the Botswana economy from resource-based into technology-based.

He said government advocated for transformation and where challenges were encountered as a result of processes and laws, relevant authorities had to intervene and ensure Batswana who were eager to bring change to the economy were facilitated.

Managing director and specialist physician, Dr Mompati explained that the facility was established in 1988 and in 1996 became the first clinic to offer HIV/AIDS treatment in Botswana ahead of government facilities which started offering it from 2001.

In 2007, the clinic upgraded with a 22-bed admission unit  and in 2008 after witnessing a sad scenario where some 255 people died because of kidney diseases, a dialysis treatment unit was added which currently had 230 patients, he said. 

Dr Mompati said the facility was approached by Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital in 2019 to treat patients referred by government facilities. About 4 000 such patients were treated, he revealed.

“Riverside institution has positioned itself to be a place which caters for all,” stated Dr Mompati.

He also disclosed plans to  open a state-of-the-art eye clinic following the realisation that many needed cataract operations.

The facility had a staff complement of 179, 80 per cent of them Batswana with the rest being expatriates offering specialist skills, Dr Mompati said. BOPA