Air Botswana sponsors doctors� flights

Baboki Kayawe | Wednesday May 18, 2016 16:06

The initiative is a partnership with a charitable organisation, Airbone Lifeline Foundation (ALF). 

The two-year partnership, which started last September has seen Air Botswana offering six tickets monthly to destinations that include Francistown, Kasane and Maun. 

Updating the media on the partnership yesterday, the airliner’s marketing manager, Thapelo Moribame said since September, 19 flights had been sponsored, benefiting 28 specialists to the ALF’s outreach sites.

“Giving back is important to Air Botswana, not just as a national airline with safe and ever improving quality service, but as a member of the community that recognises that when it comes to building a brighter and better future for Botswana, we are all in this together,” Moribame said.

Asked whether flight delays had in anyway jeopardised doctor’s efforts, Moribame said the airline’s troubles were a thing of the past.  “If you have been watching developments closely you would have realised that one of the areas we made significant improvement on is ‘on-time performance’.  We currently have an on-time record of around 80 percent, and that’s one of the best in the region,” said Moribame.  

ALF operations manager, Tammi McAllister said the partnership ensured that doctors treating children, HIV, nutrition, surgery, orthopaedics, TB, physiotherapy, psychology and others, are flown to outreach sites monthly with 367 patients treated.

Moreover, she said the partnership had contributed scientifically to the drug deficit problem in remote areas as distribution is at times done through air transport whenever Central Medical Stores trucks encounter challenges.

“The partnership has allowed the Foundation to stretch its budget and continue to service other outreach facilities,” she said.

McAllister said a previous partnership with USAID had flown 135 doctors to Tsabong, Hukuntsi and Gantsi, with 1,563 patients treated.

ALF is a charitable organisation working in a public-private partnership with the governments of Botswana and Malawi, providing a flying medical service. The foundation leases aircraft to transport health care professionals and medical supplies to remote villages on a regular weekly or biweekly basis.