24 Jun 2026

Kanye District councilors are strongly calling for urgent improvements to healthcare services across the district.

Debating the Council Chairperson’s speech on Wednesday, Councillor for Gasita, Ms Neo Tumelo, expressed concern over the high number of patients defaulting on the Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) in Gasita. 

She appealed for the deployment of healthcare education assistants at Gasita Clinic to conduct home visits, promote treatment adherence and reduce deaths associated with treatment defaults.

Ms Tumelo also called for the installation of air conditioning in the maternity wing of Gasita Clinic, warning that the absence of cooling systems poses serious risks to the lives of newborn babies.

In the same debate, Councillor for Lorolwane, Mr Kgomotso Jacobs, highlighted the shortage of consultation rooms at Lorolwane Clinic. 

He recommended the provision of portable cabins to ease congestion and improve service delivery.

Mr Jacobs further lamented that during visits by specialist doctors, general staff were forced to vacate the consultation room, causing inconvenience to service delivery.

Selokolela Ward Councillor, Mr Alfred Tsie, commended the chairperson’s speech for honouring the late former President Dr Festus Mogae, praising his significant contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS during the early years of the pandemic. 

He noted that Dr Mogae’s efforts helped save Botswana’s population from the worst effects of the virus.

However, Mr Tsie raised concern over the recent insufficient supply of condoms in clinics and government offices, warning that this could reverse gains made in HIV prevention if not urgently addressed. 

He also highlighted cases of negligence by some health workers in his ward that he said often delay service delivery, adding that specific incidents had already been reported to health management for action.

Councillor for Lotlhakane East, Mr Mike Mohutsiwa called for Lotlhakane Clinic to be adequately capacitated to serve the large population in the settlement and suggested that, given its high patient volume, the facility be upgraded to operate 24 hours a day. ENDS