12 Mar 2026

The Ministry of Health has resolved to phase out and replace aging Tecmed 2000 X-ray machines across government hospitals and prioritise new procurement over increasingly expensive repairs.

Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Lawrence Ookeditse told Parliament on Wednesday that the ministry’s ultimate goal was to replace the units, which were now over 15 years old, as the cost of maintenance had become disproportionately high compared to their current value. 

In the interim, Mr Ookeditse said the department had resolved to only approve repairs that were not financially prohibitive. On the maintenance backlog at Sekgoma Memorial and Tutume Primary Hospitals, Mr Ookeditse revealed that there was currently no active framework service contract for the Tecmed equipment. 

He indicated that previous maintenance tender (No. POU/MOH/HSM/SER/0073/08072024) was cancelled on 10 April, 2024 due to technical reasons, following expiration of a two-year comprehensive upgrade contract in 2020.

“The failed X-ray tube was never replaced by the previous contractor because the parent company retracted the sole dealership,” he explained. 

He added that while the dealership was transferred to another company, the subsequent cancellation of the tender prevented further maintenance. Despite the mechanical failures, the assistant minister assured Parliament that healthcare delivery remained stable. 

He said while the Tecmed 2000 machine at Sekgoma Memorial Hospital became faulty in July 2022, radiology services continued to be offered through an alternative X-ray machine while at Tutume Primary Hospital critical parts, including the CPU PCB1X and various control boards, were previously replaced. 

He said a functional tube was installed in September 2021 via Floritech Investments and a collimator was recently replaced at a cost of P77,000 through Hypex Medical. 

Member of Parliament for Serowe South, Mr Leepetswe Lesedi had asked the minister to update Parliament on the maintenance and procurement history of Tecmed 2000 X-ray machines at Sekgoma Memorial and Tutume Primary Hospital. 

Mr Lesedi had also sought clarity on the non-functional status of equipment and raised concerns regarding potential overcharging by contractors. He questioned the transparency of tender awards and noted apparent conflicts in approval decisions between hospital-based biomedical engineers and the ministry headquarters. BOPA