09 Oct 2022

The advent of COVID-19 has resulted in a sharp increase in non-communicable diseases which require palliative care, Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe has said.

Speaking at this year’s World Hospice and Palliative Care Day commemoration in Francistown Saturday, he said most people and families now required support through the Hospice and Palliative Care programme.

The programme’s main goal, Mr Lelatisitswe said, was to improve the care of seriously ill patients and their families.

Through the programme, patients were able to cope with life despite the challenges they faced, the assistant minister said.

 Mr Lelatisitswe therefore called upon all stakeholders to support the programme to make it a success.

He urged Batswana to undergo screening for potential health disorders or diseases even if they showed no symptoms.

“Our mission is to ensure quality health care for all our people,” he said adding that palliative care was a component of Home Based Care aimed at alleviating suffering.

Mr Lelatisitswe said the palliative care programme was designed for people with life threatening illnesses.

For his part, Greater Francistown District Health Management Team coordinator, Dr Ivan Kgetse said the commemoration aimed to improve the care of seriously ill patients and their families, promote the understanding and integration of palliative care as well as to raise awareness on the programme’s mission and goals.

The programme was devoted to achieving the best possible quality of life for patients facing life threatening or terminal illnesses through relief of symptoms and aggressive management of other sources of suffering, he said.

In his welcome remarks, Francistown mayor, Mr Godisang Radisigo commended Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital for having a palliative care team which he said had started spreading its wings into the greater Francistown area.

Mr Radisigo called on everyone to rally behind the programme because it had good health benefits.

A beneficiary, Mr Kgosidialwa Motsamai of Bobonong testified that he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 and had been on the programme since.

He said though he had not yet recovered, the love and care that he got from the palliative care givers and his family was amazing and promising.

The programme, he explained,  put more emphasis on love.

He called on government to introduce the programme in all health facilities, especially primary hospitals.

His words were echoed by WHO official, Dr Tebogo Madidimalo who said if the programme was introduced in hospitals, many patients would benefit to the extent of being cured of non-communicable diseases.

Giving a vote of thanks, Francistown South legislator, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi said the programme was a step in the right direction and needed to be supported at all costs.

He said it was high time old age homes were established in Botswana as one way of supporting the programme. Ends