Mahalapye DHMT faces shortage of medicines

 

Mahalapye District Health Management Team (DHMT) continues to be challenged by unavailability of medicines and medical supplies at the main central distribution point.

Mahalapye District Council Chairman, Banthasetse Merementsi stated that although there is some slight improvement, access is now compounded by the refusal of nurses to dispense. He indicated that the DHMT has clustered the facilities and placed pharmacy technicians to carry out the dispensing.

However, he said this is not enough as some clients end up getting treatment late. Merementsi who was addressing the Mahalapye District Full Council Meeting this week said transport continues to be the impediment. He pointed out also that the chronic medication programme is ongoing as an effort to decongest and improve access for medications.

“Chronic Medication Programme is ongoing and has enrolled 2 032 patients with private pharmacies. We still have only one pharmacy being used which poses a challenge to clients in terms of access.

“The average drug availability for the past four months from April 2023 to July 2023 are, Vital 78 percent, Essential 63.5 percent, Necessary 18.5 percent and Service Level is at 53.5 percent.

“In addition, as a way of embracing the Reset Agenda of Competent, Committed and Motivated employees, the DHMT hosted the Inter-District health Games for the Northern DHMTs addressing the motivation part.”

The chairman revealed that this also aligns with prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases with the focus on health workers. These will continue locally in order to uphold the goal of fitness and disease prevention among workers.

He told the meeting that Mahalapye DHMT continues to put measures in place by coming up with appropriate initiatives to improve access to quality health services including restoration of Mahalapye District Hospital as a Centre of Excellence for Orthopaedic service. He said some of the activities employed include Improvements made by specialists.

“The DHMT continues to see improvements in specialists’ services except for Gynaecology services, as there is still no specialist for such. There is significant improvement in waiting times for surgical operations and specialists’ clinics and reduction of referrals to other hospitals. The DHMT continues to receive more specialists and advocate for the deployment of a Gynaecologist in the District,” Merementsi said.

On private public partnership, Merementsi revealed that the Ministry of Health has recently adopted private public partnership with private practitioners to provide services in health facilities as a cost saving measure.

Mahalapye Hospital is also a beneficiary of this initiative and orthopaedic patients form the region and outside have been operated by private practitioners at Mahalapye Hospital, he said. According to the chairman, this has benefitted the ministry in reducing the backlog of orthopaedic patients.

“On the establishment of kidney dialysis centre, the final phase of upgrade is expected to be completed in first week of September 2023. This will give way to ease of preparations for the establishment of the dialysis centre.

“The centre is envisaged to cater for patients not only in Mahalapye but also in the Northern part of Botswana,” he said.