Botswana July 2006 |
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| MP Asks Improved Benefits For Nurses, (Mmegi, 2006-07-10):-Speaking during the handing over of the Infectious Disease Care Centre (IDCC) at the Phikwe Government Hospital last Friday, Kario said he was aware that the country has lost a lot of nurses to Britain leaving the country in a needy position. "I request that their applications for gratuities and other benefits be served in the earliest time possible," Kario begged. The MP also pleaded with Minister Sheila Tlou to encourage her staff in Gaborone to respond timeously to the outstations on issues concerning the health staff. The Minister had earlier urged that nurses who had gone to work abroad be called back to meet the needs of the health service in the country. An exodus of nurses and doctors who sought improved working conditions and attractive earnings in Britain and other countries has lately hit the country. Meanwhile, Phikwe Government Hospital's IDCC unit has had a shot in the arm as it received a P2 million structure from ACHAP. The new building, with an improved capacity, supplements the BDF tent that the hospital has been using to attend to the infectious disease patients. Kario lamented however that the challenge to increase doctors still lie unabated and called for the ministry of health to populate the new building with nurses and doctors. He highlighted a condition whereby the few available doctors leave the hospital to serve the IDCC creating long queues and waiting periods for medical services that impact negatively on the promise to serve the people. The hospital matron, Virginia Tlhabiwe, who hailed the gesture demonstrated by ACHAP said the many people in Selebi-Phikwe and surrounding will fully benefit from it because it will improve service delivery and ease congestion. She stated that the first case of HIV/AIDS in 1985 was in Phikwe but regrettably most interventions to address the disease were started elsewhere whilst Phikwe was sidelined. Phikwe launched ARV treatment in 2004 and currently there are over 3 000 patients on treatment. Tlhabiwe added that when the enrolment started, it was a nightmare as there was a shortage of doctors even though the centre was needed to accommodate patients. This resulted in patients queuing as early as 4am. Others who were enrolled in other hospitals at that time could not be transferred back to Phikwe hospital for fear of perpetuating the situation. The BCL mine hospital was also permitted by the ministry of health to issue ARV drugs to create an efficient service in the area. Though there is still a lot more work to be done to get the BCL facility fully operational, the government hospital is encouraged by the progress so far. Selebi Phikwe is one of the towns with the highest prevalence rates in the country. In addition its neighbouring Bobirwa sub-district is also one of the worst affected. Minister Tlou pointed out that the waiting times for enrolment into the ARV programme has been very high and that the number of patients on ARVs in the government hospital is estimated to go up to 5 000 in the near future. "The hospital is not big enough to handle such a pandemic without assistance with more infrastructure and therefore the ACHAP donation could not have come at a more opportune time." | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |