Dikoloti visits health facilities

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Dikoloti visits health facilities
Dikoloti visits health facilities

Africa-Press – Botswana. The Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti, has urged Greater Lobatse DHMT to ensure that the environment is conducive in all health facilities for effective and efficient service delivery.

Speaking during his visit to health facilities in the Digawana extension area, Dr Dikoloti said funds were provided for maintenance of health facilities, hence the need for all to be in a good state.

Minister Dikoloti pointed out that he was happy with the overall running of some facilities such as the Gopong Health Post. He urged others to visit them for benchmarking. He was deeply concerned about the state of some facilities such as Digawana and Lorwana clinics, which needed more renovations.

He wanted to understand why the facilities were in such a state and agreed with the DHMT on the deadline for such facilities to be maintained. “All facilities should be well maintained at all times and furnished for effective service delivery,” he said.

He congratulated most clinics for going an extra mile in fighting NCDs, as they have vegetable gardens and provide home-based care clients with such produce as well as children under five years to fight malnutrition.

Regarding availability of drugs, all clinics assured Minister Dikoloti that there was no shortage. However, they highlighted shortage of pharmacy technicians, and the DHMT said that they were working around the clock to arrest the situation.

Dr Dikoloti also stressed the need for staff to be trained on customer service to ensure that Batswana receive the best service.

The Minister urged staff to embrace the mind-set change, noting that would ensure effective and efficient service delivery.

“We have to change the way we think and do things differently as that would propel the country to greater heights,” he added. Athlone Hospital Manager, Ms Seyanokeng Thagame said they were committed as the DHMT to fill all the gaps realised during the minister’s visit.

She said their district was vast, hence they were working tirelessly to ensure that all was in order. Regarding maintenance works backlog, Ms Thamage said they have shortage of staff, noting that they mostly relied on temporary staff.

“We are in talks with our headquarters to assist us with staffing in that field,” she said.

Ms Monica Itaoleng, a nurse at Gopong Health Post, thanked Minister Dikoloti for having donated fruit trees to their facility, noting that the donation would go a long way in fighting NCDs in their area.

She said having realised a burden of malnutrition affecting children under five years, which she said was due to socio-economic standard, they decided to grow vegetables and give to such children and home-based care clients as well as people living with disability.

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