Rural residents in the areas of Kedia, Makalamabedi, Khwee and other remote areas often encounter barriers to healthcare due to lack of health facilities.

Although primary healthcare is the most basic need, along with emergency and public health services, it has not always been accessible in some of the remote areas in Boteti due to constrained government budget.

Rural dwellers have experienced a lot of challenges to travel to reach a primary care provider, which has also been costly and burdensome due to lack of public transport and transport fees.

Patients at times are compelled to substitute local primary care providers with unprofessional health practices or to forego care altogether.

There are often more elderly patients in rural communities, who have chronic conditions requiring frequent visits to outpatient healthcare facilities, and this becomes more challenging without available public or private transportation in areas like Kedia and Makalamabedi.

Rural patients need assurance and trust that they can access health services without compromising their privacy, therefore they may not prefer to access care at a health service located far from them.

Low health literacy can also make residents reluctant to seek healthcare due to fear of embarrassment related to communicating with a healthcare professional unfamiliar with them.

Access to healthcare and optimal health is critical for a population’s wellbeing and the recommended radius of healthcare facility away from people is 10 kilometres.

The benefits of primary care access include preventative measures such as early disease detection, care coordination and reduction in maternal deaths. Rural residents with limited primary care access may not receive preventive screenings that can lead to early detection and treatment of diseases.

As part of saving people’s lives, which is one of the priorities of the Reset Agenda, the Vice President and also the area Member of Parliament for Boteti West, Mr Slumber Tsogwane embarked on a drive to set up health facilities through Public Private Partnerships.

Three clinics in Boteti West have been established as a move to implement government’s commitment to provide access to healthcare and ensure convenient healthcare in rural areas.

The companies have responded to government’s call to partner in developing the country and embarked on the projects as a form of corporate social investment.

In Kedia, Crown Manufacturing Group sponsored an outpatient clinic to the tune of P1.5 million. The project is complete and already in operation.

The clinic has two consultation rooms, antenatal care room, dressing and injection room, child welfare room, drug store, dispensary room, ablution for patients and waiting area for all service points.

The old clinic structure is to be repurposed into a two-bed maternity ward.

According to the former Regional Health Coordinator Ms Gasebotho Kedikilwe, the facility has reduced overcrowding citing that, health practitioners will have adequate and better working space.

Another clinic, sponsored by Leseding Interior, was constructed between 2018 and 2022 in Makalamabedi. The facility is expected to be handed over to Ministry of Health soon.

The Director of Leseding Interior Mr Nadiim Bobat said the project was built at a cost of P4.5 million.

The clinic has a general patient consultation room, expectant mothers’ consultation room, dressing and injection room, emergency room, dispensary, drug store, registry, medical records room   and an administration office.

In Mopipi, 70 kilometres from Orapa, World Group of Companies financed construction of a clinic with a maternity wing, and it is already operational.

According to the Project Manager, Mr Nshanganyi Damba the project cost P5 million.

The clinic has a maternity wing with two delivery rooms, storeroom, lounge, three showers and drug store. It also has a main clinic site with three consultation rooms, injection room, dressing room and screening room among others.

The clinic also has a dispensary with two drugstores, a sterilization room divided into various units, ambulance sites, kitchen and public ablution blocks among others.

Furthermore Orapa Letlhakane and Damtshaa (OLD)Mines recently engaged on a charity walk to raise funds that would go towards the refurbishment of a theatre at Rakops Primary Hospital estimated to cost over P4.2 million.

Currently Rakops Primary Hospitla does not offer theatre services but refer to other hospitals and the intention is to improve clinical outcomes of emergencies in Boteti.

Another project that has made a significant improvement of primary healthcare delivery is Letlhakane Primary Hospital Maternity wing, partly funded through OLD Mines General Manager’s Charity Walk.

The facility has realized an improvement in capacity where 4990 patients have been serviced and 4010 newborn babies born since the facility was handed to the Ministry of Health in 2020.

The project was conceived to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes, ease congestion and improve access to high quality healthcare in Letlhakane.

In addition, Debswana in partnership with TKM Engineering upgraded Moremaoto Clinic at a tune of P1.8 million, with Debswana contributing P1.6 million and TKM the remaining amount.

The aim of the project was to ease congestion and improve access to high quality healthcare.

Letlhakane District Hospital is also on cards and would be funded through the Transitional National Development Plan to be delivered through Development Managers Model.

The project, which is at design stage, would be carried out by K-Hill Consortium.

The Private Secretary to the President, Mr Moses Boile stated that the Office of the Vice President came with the decision to invest in clinics after realising the extent of the challenges in the areas in question.

 Although government tried hard to provide health facilities and health services across the country, he said it was realised that there were still people who had to travel long distances to access health facilities.

One of the residents, Mr Johane Sephiri said they were delighted to have a facilityof such standard in Mopipi.

“We have always wished to have a facility of this kind,” he said.

He noted that rural areas were mostly populated by elderly people, who found it difficult to travel long distances to access services.

In Makalamabedi, Ms Gofetamang Keadilwe shared the same sentiments saying the clinic has brought healthcare within reach. Ms Keadilwe said the project has also created employment opportunities for locals.

Source : BOPA

Author : Thandy Tebogo

Location : LETLHAKANE

Event : Interview

Date : 08 Sep 2024