With all due respect Sir, I wish to air my views and opinion on these issues. It is very sad for me because I know a lot of places for sure right here in our country where our fellow Batswana lose lives because of non availability of hospitals.
DRM is only half an hour to Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) and other private hospitals within Gaborone while Palapye Primary Hospital is only 15 minutes to Sekgoma Memorial hospital and only 30 minutes from Mahalapye Hospital. Lethakane is only 10 minutes to Orapa Mine hospital and two hours to both Sekgoma and Nyangabgwe Referral hospitals. Now all this information about these hospitals says very loud and clear that they dont need upgrading at this time. Minister, it is heartbreaking to learn that you would like to upgrade hospitals which are surrounded by a group of hospitals while Batswana in distant areas suffer so much. I wish to humbly bring to your attention the fact that there are many places in this country where Batswana live and there are no hospitals or hospitals too small and limited to take care of Batswana within the catchment area. Minister I wish to request you to visit the following areas so that at least maybe you could appreciate what goes on and come to realise that Batswana living in those areas also need to be looked after the same way that you are speaking for the hospitals that you want to upgrade. Kasane is our tourist town. It must have ‘a state of the art hospital’ like you always say. It is at the centre of our tourism industry. It is way too far from Nyangabgwe hospital yet Kasane only has a primary hospital. Batswana and international guests must live and arrive in a town that has a hospital that is capable of saving lives efficiently and effectively. Gantsi only has a primary hospital which is also long overdue for upgrading. The catchment area is too big for a primary hospital. They need a district hospital. There is no children’s ward in this hospital.
