Congratulations Princess Marina

| Tuesday January 19, 2010 00:00

Last Friday we were all pleasantly surprised to hear that our very own Princess Marina Hospital has for the first time conducted heart surgeries and to top it all these surgeries were successful. This is indeed a huge step and we can only celebrate.

Government has over the past few years been spending a lot of public money on building state of the art hospitals and clinics. While there is evidence of infrastructural development across the country, this has not been matched with the provision of quality health service and corresponding development in health research. To torture the cliche it has always been the same old practice.

Some of us thought that our health authorities are content with taking patients  into South Africa for anything that demanded specialty even though this came at a huge cost. After 40 years of independence it seemed more like an insult that we were still dependent on other countries to provide expertise even in areas that we have heavily invested in. Since Independence Botswana has trained many doctors and health professionals at some of the best institutions in the world. While other countries are exploring space, we should at least be developing competency in basic life saving skills such as heart surgeries and kidney transplants.

We want to commend Princess Marina Hospital management for having found it fit to have started these major operations at our premier hospital. As a referral hospital we expect Marina to be seized with such complicated operations other than referring such cases to some hospitals in South Africa.

We hope that these operations will be increased and Marina will now want to turn itself into a major hospital that performs life saving operations than being known as a health facility manned by uncouth nurses and by the stench and filth that have over the years been associated with the place.

The only way to erase the past Marina ghost is by ensuring that the public sees and hears more about these successful operations and less about the stench and the behaviour of the few wayward employees who do not seem to notice that  a new path is being charted at Marina.

On another matter the Trade and logistics report launched by the World Bank last week has bad news for Botswana. The country is underperforming and it is ranked 134 out of 155 countries. That is very poor indeed.

It would appear that our customs clearance process are not up to scratch to enhance trade efficiency. We hope the concerned government agency and all concerned will take the necessary corrective steps.

                                                     Today's thought

                    Success is simple. Do what is right,the right way, at the right time.

                                                - Arnold H. Glasgow