Africa-Press – Botswana. It is crucial to employ a proactive approach in discharging services and information to clients, says Assistant Minister of Health Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe.
In a meeting with Boteti District Health Management Team (DHMT) and Letlhakane Primary Hospital management recently, he said ‘talking to people in an acceptable manner is quite important, sometimes some issues are brought up due to some personalities’.
Giving out-patient department as an example, Mr Lelatisitswe, who is Boteti East MP, said staff serving in the area should give clients regular updates on service delivery delays.
“We are living in a digital world, people of today quickly run to social media when they experience challenges in our facilities,” he said adding that as a result he might be considered a failure as both an MP and a health official.
He encouraged health personnel to support the emotional needs of clients and actively attend to their problems.
Mr Lelatisitswe stressed the need for improvement of overall customer care and put in place proper channels of communication with clients.
He called on the leadership to engage staff on good customer care and communication.
On other matters, Mr Lelatisitswe informed his audience that Letlhakane Clinic would soon start operating on a 24-hour basis.
He also said all big villages should have a resident pharmacy technician.
The assistant minister recommended absorption of retired midwives and the training of newly recruited nurses interested in pursuing midwifery.
He was responding to Letlhakane Primary Hospital chief medical officer Dr Goitseone Mogorosi, who had complained about shortage of midwives saying the facility needed four additional midwives.
She explained that the hospital started with a 12-bed maternity capacity but the high number of clients prompted Orapa Mine Hospital to finance expansion of the unit to 27 beds.
Operating with 14 midwives and currently Boteti East’s only maternity unit, it was covered by two to three nurses per shift who were also required to do domiciliary and refer patients to higher institutions of care, she said.
In the pharmaceutical department, Dr Mogorosi said there was shortage of storage space as well as personnel.
She said Letlhakane, Motopi and Mokubilo clusters did not have pharmacy officers while shortage of transport made it difficult for staff to undertake support visits to clinics.
Dr Mogorosi proposed the conversion of Mopipi and Mosu old health facilities into mini warehouses and requested a vehicle suitable for transporting medicines.
Other challenges she mentioned were inadequate space for out-patient department and accident and emergency services as well as shortage of nurses.
Commenting, Dr Orapeleng Phuswane-Katse said the country was running short of physiologists, dentists and psychologists.
Regional health management coordinator Ms Gasebotho Kedikilwe said psychologists were also needed in schools to attend to learners.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
