Makgato, Mokaila meet as water crisis rocks health sector
Baboki Kayawe | Wednesday September 16, 2015 16:38
Health minister, Dorcas Makgato has engaged her counterpart at Minerals, Water and Energy Resources, Kitso Mokaila to find alternative water sources.
Yesterday, Makgato told journalists that various interventions were being put in place on a short and long term basis to protect the health sector from the water crisis.
The Greater Gaborone area’s water supply is highly precarious, with reports of disease outbreaks in Ramotswa and Gabane, while the Department of Meteorological Services says no relief is due, as the forthcoming rain season will be the worst in 34 years.
“Truth be told, we have never experienced anything like this,” Makgato said in response to Mmegi enquiries during the brief.
“We were prepared in certain areas, while in others we were not. For instance our facilities are storing water in reserves, but if the situation drags on those won’t be sustainable.
“We need to come up with both immediate and long term solutions and this could involve digging boreholes in facilities.
“We will be meeting with minister Mokaila to address both short and long term solutions to this problem.”
The University of Botswana Teaching Hospital, which will be functional towards 2016/17, is currently drilling a borehole to serve the facility and avert a water crisis that is expected to afflict the region until 2017.
For the ministry, however, the country’s largest public referral hospital, Princess Marina, is prioritising emergency operations due to water unavailability, which Makgato said was “worrisome”.
Princess Marina has a 200,000 litre reservoir, but is presently installing a 10,000 litre Jojo tank to augment supplies.
“The spread of diseases under such times is a serious matter. Really the problem needs a long term plan and we need to sit down and confront the matter,” she said.
Makgato said three task forces had been set up to look into other niggling issues in the health sector such as decongesting Princess Marina, reviewing referrals and strengthening specialist programmes. Two of the task forces are chaired at superintendent level, while a former permanent secretary is heading the other.
“All the task forces started work a month ago and we expect to meet them at the end of October to share progress,” Makgato said.
“We hope in the current financial year we will have a clearer position on the issues being looked at.”
Meanwhile, the ministry has already signed an agreement with Debswana on patient referrals from Letlhakane and Rakops Primary to Orapa Hospital to reduce congestion. Makgato said that the Orapa Hospital, with about 160 beds, had an occupancy rate of about 50 percent. “Furthermore, we are also working on the expansion of Letlhakane Primary Hospital,” added Makgato. The Ministry also has a pilot to expand service hours from eight to 24 hours for dispensary units at 24-hour clinics and hospitals in Greater Gaborone and Greater Francistown.
The challenge of staff shortage throughout the public health sector is being addressed through fast-tracking recruitment across countries, from local institutions, among retired personnel and also engaging labour on a part-time basis, Makgato said.