02 Oct 2022

 Thamaga Primary Hospital has been scheduled to get a facelift next year.

Facilities manager from the Ministry of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Mr Mokuedi Kenosi announced during a kgotla meeting addressed by Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Setlhomo Lelatisitswe in Thamaga recently.

The hospital has been a topical issue among residents of Thamaga as well as among the political divide for quite some time. 

As a result there have made persistent calls to government for expansion and maintenance of the facility since the building was old and overburdened.

After touring of the facility, Assistant Minister Lelatisitswe held a kgotla meeting to update residents on what government was doing with regards to health issues and told Thamaga residents that although COVID-19 ravaged nations and took away many lives, on the flip side, it tested all systems including health systems in this country. 

Therefore, he explained that after it abated, the authorities pondered how best these systems could be improved should they experience another pandemic.

He said government saw a need for Botswana to start manufacturing vaccines locally to avoid the current situation of acute shortage of drugs in health facilities.

Mr Lelatisitswe said most critical drugs, particularly for non-communicable diseases, were in short supply country wide and the ministry had taken a decision to refer patients to get supplies at private facilities which were also constrained.

Also, he said a long term decision had been taken to send local doctors and nurses for further studies to specialise in certain medical fields.

 He, therefore, acknowledged that although the decision would result in a short fall of nurses and doctors, it would benefit the country in the long run.

He, however, said government had made an agreement with Cuba in which the latter would send at least 70 doctors to capacitate local health facilities.

Meanwhile, he said government was considering to de-link public officers in the health sectors from unionising in order to improve efficiency in the health sector.

MP for Thamaga/Kumakwane, Mr Palelo Motaosane had earlier complained about poor service delivery, shortage of drugs and critical staff such as nurses and doctors at the hospital. 

He also complained that there were not enough staff houses although there were some funds that were allocated to build extra houses.

MP Motaosane further complained that working conditions at Thamaga Primary Hospital was appalling as there was only one ward for each of men and women. 

In addition, he said only one staff toilet shared by both men and women was totally unacceptable. 

He, therefore, called on government to hasten to deal with these issues timeously.

A representative from the Ministry of Health, who had accompanied the assistant minister, Mr Moitshepi Galeemelwe said most health services were now decentralised to districts. 

He assured residents that the ministry would try and resolve staffing issues. 

In addressing staff shortage he said the ministry had opted to hire retired nurses and temporary cleaners.

Dr Kesebonye Mosimakoko of Thamaga Primary Hospital said the hospital currently had six doctors, 42 nurses and 15 midwives. 

The hospital services a population of over 42 000.

Kgosi Segale Gobuamang of Thamaga thanked the assistant minister for touring the hospital and witnessing the state in which the facility was as well as getting first-hand information on challenges bedevilling it. 

He said they had long wanted government to improve the facility because health issues should be treated with utmost priority. ENDS