Health workers are the most cruel lot ever - PS

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Wednesday December 2, 2009 00:00

This special tag of identification was the sum and total of remarks by the deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Kolaatamo Malefhom while on a visit to the Selebi-Phikwe Government Hospital this week.

Addressing hospital staff, Dr Malefho said health workers did not have respect for patients and treated them as cases. 'The President of Botswana has added a fifth 'D' for Delivery to his road map,' he said. 'Members of the public are complaining that civil servants are not delivering and that has to change.'

Many of the complaints his ministry had received concerned lack of botho (compassion) and not the knowledge possessed by hospital staff, which was not in question.

'Some of you insult patients as if you are paid to do so,' he said. But everything you do should be customer-focused. Control your queues and there must be signage that directs your patients.' 

Malefho explained that while it was not the intention to fire anyone, it was important for the ministry to make sure that things were done professionally. He appealed to staff to practice confidentiality to avoid lawsuits.

He also called on hospital management to pay suppliers on time, which should be less than a week after delivery. The food given to patients is below standard and is delivered poorly in uncovered plates. Patients should not have to share utensils if the hospital purchased sufficient utensils, including pyjamas.

'The government spends a lot of money buying ARV drugs,' Malefho noted. But some people want to use them for their selfish ends. If you are caught stealing ARVs, I will fire you without a disciplinary hearing.'

Malefho noted that his ministry did 'a commendable job' in the past by controlling diseases like HIV/AIDS, cholera and A (H1N1). He said a P750-million 120-bed hospital would be built in Selebi-Phikwe during NDP 10.

He observed that Gaborone's latest private health facility, Bokamoso Hospital, has 300 beds but at P596 million, had cost less than the envisaged hospital for Selebi-Phikwe.

'This shows that some civil servants did not do their job well,' Malefho said. 'Why should we spend a more money on our hospital when it will have fewer beds? Right now, new hospitals have not been well built because civil servants failed to supervise.'

The superintendent of the hospital, Dr Jeff Sharma, said the hospital infrastructure was old and needed to be renovated. They did not have enough storage to keep hospital property, hence it was lying around everywhere. 'We need to partition some of the wards in order to control infectious diseases such as TB,' Dr Sharma said. 'We are also planning to get a caravan that can serve as offices.'

He complained of shortage of staff such as plant operators and cleaners. Some of their equipment is old, having been 'inherited' it from Sekgoma Memorial Hospital in Serowe where it had been written off.

Sharma said a serious challenge was shortage of accommodation. They depended on the goodwill of the District Commissioner's office to give them houses and called on the ministry to buy houses for the hospital from the Botswana Housing Corporation.

The hospital did not have sufficient security, hence drugs and equipment were easily stolen.