Karate gets healthy P800, 000 deal
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday January 22, 2021 15:47
National team players will receive primary health care for a period of four years. The Botswana Karate Association (BOKA) and Kalafhi Medical Centre sealed the deal during a ceremony in Gaborone this week.
BOKA president, Tshepo Bathai said they have been with Kalafhi Medical Center since last year.
He said they have always struggled with medical care for national team athletes. He said they do not undermine the assistance they always receive from the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC). “We are always worried when athletes pick injuries during training or competition. But now that will change because Kalafhi will avail a doctor or any qualified medical officer in all our activities.
In some instances, athletes would pick an injury and we would just brush it aside thinking that it is nothing only to discover at a later stage that a career has ended because of that,” he said. Bathai said there are other services from Kalafhi that they would announce at a later stage, adding that they would manage the sponsorship deal well to renew the contract when it ends. He said the partnership is expected to motivate other National Sport Associations (NSA) to seek assistance from the private sector. Kalafhi Medical Center managing director Dr Matlhogonolo Mouwane said they will provide the national team with primary health care worth P800, 000 and each athlete would be granted services worth P2, 000 annually, but it is also possible to assist those who need services above the set limit. “The support is not only in monetary terms but as well as offering skills and knowledge and medical advice service,” she said.
Officiating at the ceremony, the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said sports and physical activities have been used as a tool to improve physical and social well-being to raise awareness on non-communicable disease campaigns led by athletes in most cases. “The partnership between Kalafhi Medical Center and BOKA is a great development and as government, we commend the good gesture.
Karate national team is made up of athletes from different parts of the country and they all need medical assistance. The presence of Kalafhi personnel would reduce fear in athletes as nothing is as heartbreaking as losing talent due to an injury,” Dikoloti said.