SKMTH strives to generate revenue
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday February 13, 2023 06:00
When briefing the Swiss President Alain Berset on Wednesday this week, he said some of the factors that they had considered are ease of staff availability in collaboration with main partners for example University of Botswana, Botswana –Baylor children’s Clinical Centre for Excellence, building on COVID-19 momentum, the readiness of key inter-dependencies for example, in theatre and pressure in the public sector (congestion and unfavourable outcomes).
He further added that for the long term, the hospital is envisaged to be a centre of excellence for certain services including a comprehensive cancer centre, critical care centre, cardiovascular centre, trauma and burn centre, renal and organ transplant centre and ophthalmology centre.
On other issues concerning the hospital, he said for renal service intends to do kidney replacement therapy services so that patients could now be treated in the country.
For acute and chronic haemodialysis, the facility has only 14 beds that could accommodate patients. They have transplant care and general nephrology services including kidney biopsy. Services that the commission manager said are starting next month, include internal medicine, intensive care unit, general paeds, medical oncology and laboratory.
He said currently they are offering radiology, nephrology and pharmacy. For his part, President Berset said he was not impressed that the hospital was underutilised and requested the Ministry of Health to ensure that it operates optimally to save lives.
Meanwhile, during a budget speech presentation this week, the Ministry of Health got the second largest share of 17.1% of the proposed Ministerial Recurrent Budget, amounting to P10.31 billion allocated to it.
Minister of Finance, Peggy Serame said the amount represents a growth of three percent over the current year’s approved budget of P10.01 billion. She said the recommended budget will enable the Ministry to provide sustainable preventative, curative and rehabilitative health services to the nation. She also added that the proposed budgetary provision also caters for personal emoluments, drugs, medical specialists’ fees, utilities and health care supplies.
“In addition, the provision also caters for government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic including mitigation of the risks of new infections and the spread or resurgence of the disease in line with the objective of saving Batswana from COVID-19.
The proposed funds will also cover procurement of drugs and operationalisation of the Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital to full capacity,” she said. Recently, the hospital has been experiencing shortage of drugs.