Government mum on Bokamoso

GREG KELEBONYE
Staff Writer | Tuesday September 14, 2010 00:00

 

'You have already written about it, so there is no point in me discussing it.' This is the curt response to Mmegi by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health (MoH), Kolaatamo Malefho, after persistent enquiries over several days.

This is the response of the man who runs a ministry that routinely channels millions of pula to South Africa in medical costs when there is a world-class hospital near Gaborone. As the Permanent Secretary of a ministry that pays half of the members' subscriptions to the two medical insurances that own the hospital, Malefho also chairs Bokamoso's Board of Directors.

Bokamoso Hospital has a shortfall of P250 million according to the latest reports.

The hospital is owned by two state insurances, Botswana Public Officers Medical Aid (BPOMAS) and PULA. The government pays half of the subscriptions for members in the public service and those working for government-owned institutions.

While Malefho refuses to shed light on the matter, the Chief Executive Officer of Bokamoso Kabelo Ebineng, and the hospital's Director of Corporate and Legal Services Oscar Gaboutloeloe have gone on record denying that the government was failing to support the hospital.

However, Gaboutloele says they are not under pressure from the board to counter media reports about the hospital. Bokamoso Private Hospital was opened seven months ago as a centre of excellence and a regional pacesetter.

It now finds itself in financial dire straits mainly because the government will not support it by referring patients to it. At the end of last week, the hospital had had only 30 referral patients from the government. Ebineng told journalists last week:

'We are not getting enough patient volumes. We are not asking for a total shift from what has been happening. We simply want to be part of the mix.' The 'mix' includes Gaborone Private Hospital and South Africa's Milpark and Morningside. Bokamoso has over 30 world-class clinics and a well-equipped Accident and Emergency wing, 200 beds and over 23 specialist services.

Even after it opened, patients have been travelling to South Africa, India, Pakistan, the UK and the United States for specialist services available at Bokamoso. But if the hospital fails to raise the P250 million, it will have to retrench: 'We have people like Dr Gontle Moleele, a diabetes specialist, and the only Motswana qualified as such,' Ebineng said then.

He told the media that, 'If we lose people like her and many others, we will cease to be the centre of excellence that Batswana have been calling for.'

Also silent are the University of Botswana (UB) and the Nurses and Midwifery Council. UB is reportedly reluctant to use Bokamoso facilities, which are suitable for a teaching hospital, while awaiting construction of its medical school.

The Nurses and Midwifery Council is accused of not licensing specialist nurses recruited from other countries; this has resulted in huge losses to the hospital because it is legally obliged to pay them when not deivering any services. Attempts to contact the Minister of Health, Dr John Seakgosing failed as he was said to be travelling.