24 Nov 2024

President Advocate Duma Boko has promised a national health insurance for all citizens as part of government’s efforts to improve healthcare in Botswana.

President Boko said the development would enable Batswana to have medical aid that would ensure that they received quality health services timeously.

Advocate Boko made the announcement during a kgotla meeting in Mahalapye on Saturday.

“This medical aid will give Batswana the opportunity to do medical tests at private medical laboratories such as diagnofirm,” he said.

Advocate Boko who was addressing concerns raised by the Village Development Committee chairperson for Mahalapye regarding the deteriorating status of the health system in the country, further made an undertaking that government intended to invest in digital health technologies to enhance healthcare systems and provide better services to Batswana.

The transformation, he said would also ensure electronic patient information relieving doctors and nurses the burden of going through patients’ medical cards to access  medical information.

President Boko said such would also allow patients to consult with healthcare providers or specialists anywhere in the world thereby breaking down the geographical barriers and also improving the efficiency and delivery of quality treatment service to patients.

“This will address issues of delayed medical treatment as a result of waiting longer to consult with a specialist. We should address these challenges through the use of technology,” he said.

Further consultations on progress made to implement the promise would be done by the Ministry of Health and Batswana would be given a true picture of the efforts made in this regard.

President Boko urged Batswana to feel free to share their opinion during kgotla meetings and give direction on how development projects should be undertaken in their villages.

He said the role of the government was to allocate funds to undertake projects hence urged the nation to hold the government accountable.

“This is not a favour, it is our responsibility as the government to see to it that we deliver projects without fail,” said President Boko emphasising equal distribution of developments to afford Batswana in different parts of the country  equal opportunities.

Area MP, Mr David Tshere thanked President Boko for heeding the residents’ call to hold his first kgotla meeting in Mahalapye.

He vowed to work closely with other Cabinet ministers, to improve the livelihoods of Batswana, and thanked the President for giving him an opportunity to serve in Cabinet.

Mr Tshere said he would also ensure implementation of Mahalapye Development Plan 2032 which was formulated by the residents of Mahalapye.

At the top of the residents’ priorities was the storm water drainage master plan, which required more funding from the government since the P130m that was allocated for the project through Transitional Development Plan was not sufficient to undertake the project in its entirety.

The plan also included vocational training centre, a new senior secondary school, construction of A1 dual carriage way to ease traffic congestion, and streetlights among others. Ends