Answering a question in Parliament on March 3, Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Lawrence Ookeditse, informed legislators that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (MTI) terminated the contract in October 2023 due to poor performance.

Mr Ookeditse said while the project originally commenced in July 2017 with a 2018 deadline, it stalled at 90 per cent completion for years. He acknowledged that the delayed completion of the project had negatively impacted access to healthcare services for the underserved communities of Ngamiland Region. 

However, he said plans were underway to complete the remaining works through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure in the next financial year (2026/27).

 He said the condition audits were carried out on January 12 and 15 this year to determine the scope for the remaining works while MTI was currently working on the tender documents which were expected to be ready this March. Also, he said awarding of the contract was anticipated by May and for the works to commence on site by June this year and completed by April next year. 

“The 2026/27 budget for the Maun General Hospital project is P24 million for completion of the remaining works,” he said. 

He indicated that Maun General Hospital was centrally located in a densely populated area hence easily accessible by the communities within the catchment area. 

He further told Parliament that Maun General Clinic, located in the hospital vicinity and operated on a 24-hour basis, continued to service the nearby communities and the community could also seek access to health care services at Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital, which was about 10km from Maun General Hospital. 

Maun West MP, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama, had sought an update on the refurbishment and maintenance backlogs. Mr Hikuama expressed concern over the impact the delays had on healthcare delivery in the region, given that the project was nearly eight years behind its original schedule. ENDS