SKMTH acquires Radiotherapy Machine
Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH) has acquired Radiotheraphy machinery, elevating the quality of healthcare in Botswana.
According to the Commissioning Manager, Clifford Seleka, Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital is the first hospital in Botswana to own a state of the art Radiotherapy machine. Seleka explained that most countries across the globe have government established Radiotherapy machines but Botswana despite its progress in the health sector has lagged behind in the acquisition and use of this technology.
The machine, worth over P20 million, is often called a TrueBeam, Linear Accelerator, Machine which is used for the treatment of Cancer. A lot of skilled personnel such as Radiation Oncologists, Radiation Therapists and Medical Physicists are the cadres involved in the use of this machine. Furthermore, Botswana has the skilled personnel in the above mentioned cadres, but the nation has challenges with the number of Radiation Therapists.
To date there are only two Batswana trained as Radiation Therapists hence a majority of Radiation Therapists are taken from the international market to fill in the missing gap locally.