WHO advises Botswana to bridge health care access gap

WHO regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti. PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES
WHO regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti. PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES

The visiting World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti has advised the Ministry of Health and Wellness to forge effective relations with civil society groups that work closely with key populations in order to improve universal health care access.

This approach, Moeti said, could improve the quality of health care rendered to these populations, since they are hard to reach through conventional healthcare means. However, she said effective collaborations with civil society organisations that have a direct working relationship with minority populations such as sex workers, drug users and the LGBT community could address the access issues bedeviling these groups. 

Speaking at an official dinner hosted by the health ministry on Tuesday, Moeti said her remarks were motivated by a visit to the Botswana Family Welfare Association (BOFWA) where the struggles of minority groups in terms of health care access were plain to see.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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