Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital Superintendent Dr Lebogang Mokotedi has reported notable improvements in medicine availability at the Maun-based facility, with the hospital’s order fill rate rising from 15 percent in December to 30 percent by January this year.
Despite the progress, Dr Mokotedi said the hospital continues to face shortages of certain essential medications.
She also highlighted critical staffing gaps, noting that the hospital has gone nearly two years without specialists who operate on elderly patients, forcing referrals to Nyangabwe Referral Hospital in Francistown. In addition, there are currently no doctors assigned to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Dr Mokotedi further revealed that the facility urgently requires a second gynecologist, as women patients currently face waiting periods of between 24 and 26 months before being attended to. A second physician is also needed to strengthen medical services and ensure timely treatment.
To ease pressure on referral hospitals, she said Letsholathebe has partnered with a local private medical facility to provide dialysis services, successfully reducing the number of patients who would otherwise travel to Francistown. The hospital has also renovated its ICU, expanding capacity to care for critically ill patients within the region and helping divert referrals to far-off centres such as Francistown and Gaborone, particularly amid a national shortage of hospital beds.
During a visit to the hospital, Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, commended the hospital’s efforts to address long-standing challenges in service delivery.
He attributed the recent medicine shortages to previous procurement systems, under which health facilities were paying high prices through intermediaries. The minister said government has since shifted to purchasing medicines directly from suppliers, a move expected to improve availability nationwide in the coming weeks.
Mohwasa’s tour of health facilities also included Gumare Primary Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health confirmed on Wednesday that medicines and medical commodities continue to arrive at the Central Medical Stores. Items received this week include pap smear sprays, human waste diagnostic tools, and blood collection tubes.
The ministry further announced that medicines and medical supplies were dispatched on Tuesday to several facilities, including JP Kavindama Primary Hospital, Gumare Primary Hospital, Okavango District Warehouse, Ngami District Warehouse, Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital, Motlopi Clinic, Mosu District Warehouse, Mopipi Clinic, Rakops Primary Hospital, and Letlhakane Primary Hospital. Supplies delivered include antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), antibiotics for children, and immune-system-boosting medicines
