11 Sep 2023

Jwaneng Mine Hospital’s Medical Officer, Dr Lambert Badibanga has advised that while it is important to pray for solutions to different problems, prayer must be accompanied by individual and collective responsibility.

Giving a keynote address at the launch of Month of Prayer at Jwaneng Main Kgotla recently, Dr Badibanga said it was important for citizens, especially the youth, to appreciate the importance of changing their thoughts, attitudes, and emotions. 

He stated that this was what could lead to behavioural change.

“The role of the church is key on our journey to eliminate HIV/AIDS by 2030, therefore we need to reflect and stop ways which do not give us positive results,” he said

Dr Badibanga noted that the increase in number of HIV infections required all to have a behavioural change. Alongside the high HIV infection rate, he cited teenage pregnancy as another issue of concern, pointing out that last year there were 22 teenagers who fell pregnant in Jwaneng, while this year the number already stood at 17.

He said in 2022 the township recorded 59 cases of HIV, with 46 already recorded this year.

“The HIV and AIDS epidemic continues to pose a significant threat to the health and well-being of our nation, particularly young people,” he said.

He further said although Botswana had made significant strides in the fight against HIV and AIDS, there were still challenges, and some demographic groups of the population still to be reached.

He said a new emerging health challenge was the rise in the incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which include heart diseases, diabetes, cancers and acute respiratory illnesses.

“The burden of these diseases places a strain on our healthcare system, hinders workforce productivity, and affects the overall quality of life for affected individuals, thus calling on all of us to intensify our efforts in the prevention of NCDs,” he said.

He said the other persistent problems were road traffic accidents and gender-based violence (GBV), stating that from last September, 53 cases of GBV, including six incidents of defilement, three murder cases, and three rapes, had been recorded.  

“Our roads are no longer safe due to mostly careless driving and drunken driving by some community members. From September last year up to now we had 258 car accidents, and we lost five people. We need to assist in better ways of roads management starting with each individual,” he said. ends