17 Sep 2026

North West district has a registered 281 cases of diarrhoea among children under five years of age, out of which two deaths were recorded.

Updating on the diarrhoea disease situation during the ongoing full council meeting, the council chairman, Mr Itumeleng Kelebetseng raised concern over the increase of the cases in the district and urged parents and caregivers to seek medical attention early when children showed symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, dehydration, reduced urination, dry lips, sunken eyes or blood and mucus in the stool.

He also appealed to fellow councillors to encourage members of the communities to maintain good hygiene through means such as keeping their surroundings clean and washing their hands regularly with clean water and soap. 

“Drinking water for children should also be boiled before consumption. And through these simple measures, we can help prevent further infections and protect the lives of our children,” he added.

However, Mr Kelebetseng highlighted that currently, the Department of Primary Health Care has strengthened surveillance and response measures to contain the situation. 

On a related issue, the council chairman also appealed to the communities to take the lead in the fight against malaria and adopt key preventative measures to curb local outbreaks.

With the campaign scheduled to resume in November, communities have been implored to cooperate with indoor residual spraying (IRS) teams. 

The district is prone to malaria especially after heavy rains and the campaign has remained an important intervention in the fight against malaria. 

By the end of the malaria season which spans from October to May, the district had accumulatively recorded 148 cases and three deaths.

“Our goal of malaria elimination by 2029 requires government and communities to work together and as such I urge you to prepare your homes for spraying. The campaign will cover 15 villages and 172 cattle posts,’ Mr Kelebetseng emphasised.

He also expressed concern about shortage of functional ambulances in the district, saying from a total of 29 health facilities, 16 did not have dedicated ambulances and therefore depended on shared or borrowed vehicles. 

He said the situation was particularly concerning in a district where communities were widely dispersed, with some areas difficult to access.

“This is disheartening as services end up not reaching our community on time. An ambulance is not simply a vehicle but it is a critical component of our health system particularly when a patient requires urgent referral,” he said. 

“Despite these challenges, I am pleased to inform you that the Ministry of Health has donated an ambulance to our district during September 2026 to the tune of P1.2 million which has been placed at Maun General Clinic”.

Mr Kelebetseng also expressed appreciation to development partners and community organisations that continued to support the health facilities. Among the forms of assistance provided, he mentioned the donation of medicines and Ebola personal protective equipment donated by Chobe Holdings and Chobe Impact, as well as the donation of medicines to Mababe Health Post by the Mababe Zokotsama Community Development Trust.

The donations, he said, demonstrated the value of partnerships in strengthening public services and implored other stakeholders to continue supporting communities wherever possible. ENDS