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Following an observation by Ngami District Health Management Team (DHMT) on the lack of oral health service delivery to rural areas in Ngamiland, a service delivery project has been introduced.
On Friday, DHMT uplifted the phase of the annual project and launched a roving torch to be placed in a chosen village of Somelo where the project will take place this year.
The roving torch which was unveiled by Batawana Regent Kgosi Kealetile Moremi is made from natural resources found within Ngamiland to symbolise the culture and lifestyle of the locals.
Speaking during a launch of the torch, Ngami DHMT Principal Dental Officer Dr Ketshepaone Gopolang revealed that they receive most oral health cases at advanced stages where there is very little that can be done to rectify the situation.
He indicated that during the project, their team camps in a village for a period of one month to deliver oral health services to the community followed by school visits, churches, bars as well as nearby cattle posts.
Gopolang explained that the main objective of the project is to empower communities and offer oral health services to communities that are unable to seek medical attention. He added that communities will recognise their involvement in the health system through the roving torch.
He has however called on various health units to join the oral health team and provide services to the communities in order to achieve a healthy and easy access of health services by 2036.
“I acknowledge that we are short staffed but during our roundup across villages, they enquire about other services so if teams from various health units join the oral heath team for at least a week then health service delivery will be improved in our district,” Dr Gopolang advised.
Unveiling the roving torch Batawana Regent acknowledged the health officials hard work in taking services to rural communities adding that it helps reduce costs they incur to visit health facilities.
“Most rural areas operate through mobile clinics, and these clinics do not offer dental services forcing people to travel from their respective areas to seek medical attention in Maun,” Kgosi Moremi highlighted.
