17 May 2022

Complaints about shortage of medical drugs in local health facilities have dominated  kgotla meetings addressed by Lerala/Maunatlala MP in various villages of the constituency.

Gootau and Gasekgweng residents expressed discontent over the current situation at clinics where one hardly found prescribed medicines or tablets.

A resident, Mr Mathogolonolo Morabe said sometimes people walked long distances from Gasekgweng to Gootau only to find no medicines available.

He therefore, suggested  that government should closely monitor  the drug procurement process as there might be some corruption taking place in the process.

He said the fact that at private health facilities drugs were always available suggested that something could be wrong with government purchasers, hence the need for investigations.

Another resident, Ms Gaamangwe Keletso of Gasekgweng complained about unavailability of drugs for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

Mr Matsapa Mabifi complained about shortage of staff at Gasekgweng clinic, saying the only two nurses were hardly found on duty, either they were on leave or their off days.

He also suggested that drugs such as ARVs be also dispensed at Gasekgweng clinic instead of   Gootau only.

Residents also noted that Tswapong was a vast region, hence the need for a primary hospital.

Member of Parliament for Lerala-Maunatlala Mr Setlhabelo Modukanele however told his constituents that Lerala primary hospital was proposed in the National Development Plan 11.

He said some of the NDP 11 projects had overlapped into NDP 12, adding Lerala primary hospitals could be one of such. ends