- F/town district has only 18 doctors for 32 sites
- DHMT confirms shortage but is confident of success
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
FRANCISTOWN: With the COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan about to start in a few weeks, the Mayor of Francistown, Godisang Radisigo, is worried that shortage of doctors and nurses in Botswana’s second city could affect the programme.
Addressing a virtual full council session on Monday here, Radisigo said that this shortage is likely to affect deployment of doctors and nurses to all vaccination sites. Francistown’s District Health Management Team (DHMT) has 18 medical doctors, including five tempos engaged for isolation centres.
Nevertheless, the city council is devising a strategy to ensure that the programme is delivered to the whole district, the Mayor emphasised. “A total of 32 fixed sites have been established within the district,” he said.
The Acting Coordinator of Francistown DHMT, Nkele Ndolumingo, has confirmed the shortage of doctors and nurses in the district but allayed fears of the vaccine rollout plan being affected. Ndolumingo said it is worth noting that the shortage is due to high numbers of COVID-19 patients at different sites. According to her, over 600 positive patients are at different sites within the district. “All these people are clients and need healthcare,” she said.
“But no matter the shortage, we have to ensure that everyone gets the healthcare, whether they are in home isolation or at quarantine sites. We have engaged other cadres temporarily to help in the fight against COVID-19. We are training these people to also help in the vaccine rollout. These include retired nurses and health auxiliaries.”