A rural village located near Okavango in the northwest district of Botswana, Gumare is set to finally have a long-awaited hospital, as confirmed by Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe.
The hospital, which has been planned for severally years, will be built using the development manager model in the second Transitional National Development Plan.
Mr. Lelatisitswe disclosed that the proposed hospital had a P120 million budget and was evidence of the government’s commitment to solving health issues in the Okavango District during a Kgotla meeting that was presided over by President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
He noted that the project would be overseen using the Development Manager (DM) approach, which the government has instituted this year with the goal of guaranteeing projects are completed on schedule.
In response to queries from the chairwoman of the Seronga Village Development Committee (VDC), Mr. Lelatisitswe announced that improvements will be made to the Seronga clinic, including the addition of six extra beds for patient admission and a two-bed maternity section.
The American Embassy, a donor, would help to make the clinic renovation project possible. A good site in Seronga has already been chosen by the ministry to build the clinic.
At present, the donor is engaged in designing the clinic and estimating the related expenses. He stated that after everything was decided, the clinic’s construction will start.
In response to a different query, Mr. Lelatisitswe said that because Beetsha is a small village, regular medical care will only be provided by a visiting physician. “Due to staff shortage challenges faced by the Ministry, it is not feasible to station a doctor in each village across the country,” stated the assistant minister.
The chairperson of Seronga VDC, Mr. Motsholathebe Maeze, highlighted important difficulties facing the village and asked that their current clinic be upgraded. He expressed worries about the clinic’s age and size.
Mr. Maeze also emphasized the difficulties the junior school has, such as a lack of staff housing and classrooms.
The chairperson of the Beetsha VDC, Mr. Keapoletswe Moyenga, echoed the same views when he stated that the clinic in Beetsha needs a permanent physician. He also emphasized Beetsha Primary School’s lack of staff housing and classrooms.