Logistics become coronavirus' nightmare
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday March 27, 2020 13:03
When Mmegi crew arrived at Tlokweng border, it was not clear how the elderly and sick people, and those who came in ambulances from South Africa (SA) will be helped, as there was no medical doctor at the border at the time to deal with the issues.
While at the border, Mmegi observed that a patient who was brought into Botswana in an ambulance from SA was made to wait for more than two hours for Botswana ambulance to assist since medical officers from SA were not allowed to enter the country.
“We have been waiting here for more than two hours to be assisted with an ambulance because medical officers from South Africa cannot enter the country. The sad issue, is that this South African ambulance costs P200.00 every hour. Agai,n they have to hand us to medical officers since they cannot just dump us. My mother had gone for knee operations and she is meeting,” said a daughter who did not want to be named.
She said was shocked that after two hours, the medical officers then decided to make a decision to make her to wait for ambulance in an isolation room. The patient was then taken after two hours thirty minutes.
Another story was that of an elderly man who was not well coming from SA with some of his family members and he was told to wait and that the doctors at quarantine were the ones who will determine whether he will go home or be quarantined.
Meanwhile, Tlokweng border Port Health officer Obakeng Kgosiethata said the reason the patient who was coming from SA had to wait long in an ambulance was because the ambulances had gone to quarantine areas.
“It was unfortunate situation for the patient to wait for that long. That is why she had to wait for the ambulance in an isolation room. She will be taken to her home for self-isolation once the ambulance arrives,” Kgosiethata said.
On the issue of people who arrive not being well, Kgosiethata said they did not have a medical doctor at the border and the doctors at quarantine areas are the ones who check whether such patients could be quarantined or be taken for home self isolation.
Greater Gaborone District Health Management Team chief medical officer, Dr Godfrey Simoonga said the reason why food and other necessary items were delivered late was because of government purchasing processes.
One hundred and forty nine people were taken for quarantine this week at Tlokweng border.