24 Nov 2024

Botswana Police Service (BPS) has recorded a total of 16 404 road accidents, 305 total crushes and 404 fatalities, over the past three years, Botswana Police Service (BPS) Assistant Superintendent Itumeleng Maruru has revealed.

Giving an overview of the road traffic situation in the country, during the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund Regional Case Management in Gaborone on Thursday, Mr Maruru said in 2023, BPS recorded a total of 15 331 accidents, 301 total crushes and 396 fatalities, whilst in 2024, from January to date, a total of 13 277 accidents, 217 total crushes and 266 fatalities were recorded.

Most of these accidents, he said occurred due to the following behavioural factors; inappropriate speed, drinking and driving, carelessness, pedestrians misconduct, use of electronic gadgets, animals on the roads, poor road conditions and inexperienced drivers.

In her welcome remarks, the Ministry of Health permanent secretary, Professor Oatlhokwa Nkomazana said the one-day conference marked a significant milestone in the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) regions’s collective efforts to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes across the region.

“In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the need for innovative approaches to case management has never been more critical,” she said.

Themed; Innovative Case Management: Embracing Mindset Change for Enhanced Efficiency and Outcomes, Prof. Nkomazana expressed delight that the theme underscored the importance of adopting new technologies and methodologies, thereby fostering a mindset change that embraced continuous improvement and adaptability. The event theme, she said also called for all stakeholders to reimagine how they approached their work and continuously strive for excellence.

The permanent secretary revealed that, annually, the MVA Fund Botswana received an average of 1 200 injured claimants from road traffic accidents, with an average 400 fatalities, leaving behind about 1 000 loss-of-support dependents, annually.

“Disturbingly, this has been the trend for the past five years,” she said.

Given these statistics, with limited resources, she said it was vital that the most efficient and effective strategies were identified and implemented to provide excellent services. By focusing on innovative case management, she said could significantly help enhance the operational effectiveness and improve the support to those impacted by motor vehicle accidents.

MVA Fund Botswana, Prof. Nkomazana said was currently facing challenges in meeting the evolving needs of injured claimants, which were essential for helping them reach their optimal level of function. These challenges, among others, stem from a shortage of medical and rehabilitation specialists and rehabilitation centres.

In Botswana, she said the fund reportedly paid out approximately P200 million, annually, in claims-related costs, which covered; medical and rehabilitation expenses, funeral costs, loss of earnings, loss of support and general welfare assistance. Given this context, she said it was important to re-evaluate the strategies to ensure sustainability moving forward.

“The scope of this conference bears testament to the possibilities of new approaches that can help re-fashion case management. However, deciding on new tools or approaches requires a shift of perspective on how a case manager looks at his or her job,” she said.

“Creating an enabling environment of people orientation or culture that is claimant-focused is equally important. We seek to see more cooperation, creativity, flexibility and adaptability as they are vital to improving the case management process,” she added.

In her welcome remarks, MVA Fund Botswana board chairperson,, Dr Boitumelo Mokgatle said case management was the backbone of coordinated care aimed at ensuring that patients received the right services and treatments at the right time to bridge the gap between various healthcare providers.

“As such, effective case management not only improves patient recovery and satisfaction, but also reduces hospital re-admissions and healthcare costs,” she said.

“As we strive for a more efficient and effective healthcare system in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, eSwatini and the SADC region, innovative approaches in case management were paving way for better patient care and resource utilisation,” she added.

With new medical technologies explored across the globe, Dr Mokgatle said it was important that the SADC region deliberated on such technologies. She emphasised that innovation in case management and rehabilitation was not just about recovery, but was also about restoring dignity, independence and quality of life.

Case management, MVA Fund Botswana board chairperson said played a critical role in the healing journey, stressing that understanding how the transformative medical innovations had an impact on case management was key and could profoundly impact lives.

She, therefore, encouraged stakeholders to prioritise research and development in case management to ensure advancements in the field were not just availed in the region, but also affordable and accessible to all.  Ends