Africa-Press – Botswana. North East District Council (NEDC) chairperson Mr Mbaakanyi Smart says it is imperative for the council to ensure the provision of quality primary health care services to communities within the district.
Speaking during the NEDC full council session recently, Mr Smart said the function to provide primary health care services, which the council received in April, had come with a lot of challenges such as shortage of ambulances and personnel. He said during a recent retreat and engagement with former District Health Management Team staff, they had managed to identify burning issues that caused inefficiencies prior to the relocation of primary health care services to councils. He said there were only nine ambulances in the district yet health facilities totalled 41.
Calling for the collaboration of district and community leaders to address issues relating to the delivery of quality primary health care services, Mr Smart noted that effective local level structures, accountability and strategic partnerships were key to the proper servicing of communities.
He said it was also vital for council committees to effectively play their oversight role, which he said was pivotal to the efficiency of the government delivery system. As such, he said a commitment had been made that the council, its committees and other district structures would work jointly in making decisions that would improve efficiency in the delivery system and impact positively on the lives of communities.
Mr Smart said council had thus committed to form strategic partnerships and collaborations with communities and key stakeholders in the delivery of its core mandate. Labelling the impending opening of Tati Mine a positive development, Mr Smart said consultative meetings for the official opening of the mine had since been done with the district leadership. He said while the date of its official opening would be communicated at a later time once finalised, the mine had started to open up employment opportunities in phases.
Mr Smart said during the meeting that was held in May, it was indicated that the mine would be in full operation within a period of nine to 12 months, adding that its planned opening had ignited hope that the pace of the region and the country’s economic growth would improve. He stated that it was anticipated that this would also unlock value chain development under various sectors of the economy such as plant hire, manufacturing, cleaning services, and real estate.
With regard to digitalisation, he noted that significant strides in the learning environment had been made as a total of 475 teachers at junior secondary schools had been issued laptops to assist and empower them to provide Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)-based teaching and learning. He said electronic gadgets for learners at junior secondary schools level were expected to be provided during the current financial year as Phase 2 of the school digitalisation initiative. He said the last phase would be for primary schools teachers and learners, which he said was expected to be completed during the next financial year.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
