Amid the ongoing shortage of medications and resources within the health sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have taken a bold step forward in an attempt to mitigate these challenges which, in overall, negatively affects the public.
NGOs including the Ngamiland Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (NCONGO), Makgabaneng, and the Botswana Christian Health and AIDS Intervention Program (BOCHAIP), alongside the National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA), have collaboratively established a tobacco-prevention campaign in an effort to take health services to the people.
In an interview, NCONGO programs coordinator Gofaone Sedihe revealed at the closure of their campaign held at the Maun bus rank on Thursday that over 60 people came through to access health services.
“The health services they accessed included HIV testing, screening, nicotine testing, Body Mass Index to determine weight status, sugar diabetes, and free health education they might need,” she said.
Sedihe stressed that HIV testing services are quite limited in health care facilities, mainly due to the current economic crisis the country faces. She said they use the tobacco-prevention campaign as they are aware that most non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are caused by the nicotine element.
Sedihe mentioned that last year they conducted a house-to-house campaign where they offered their services at a national level too. She noted that health is an important aspect of life that needs to be safeguarded at all costs. She indicated that despite transportation challenges, they will ensure that they take critical services to the people.
Sedihe explained that in order to ensure services reach the people, a dedicated and committed workforce is needed. She added that if the government could put an effort into ensuring they commit and stay dedicated to their work, a larger population would access health services in a short period of time.
She explained that even if funding and resources are a challenge, the government could come up with alternatives for ensuring they provide adequate health services to the nation. Sedihe appreciated residents for showing up in larger numbers than expected, adding it is satisfying to see people passing by stalls to learn and access services nowadays.
Meanwhile, the coordinator indicated that Makgabaneng, which is a behaviour change communication organisation and creative arts entity primarily aimed at improving the quality of life through edutainment, travels countrywide coordinating these campaigns. She added that the organization is also compiling videos and photos for a documentary that will summarise and show all challenges faced by the health sector as well as their impact.
While BOCHAIP and NAHPA organisations are mandated to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic through a holistic approach as well as coordinating the national response to HIV/AIDS and preventing NCDs, NCONGO on the other hand is mandated to building better communities through advocacy, partnerships, capacity building, networking, and research.
