Shortage of skilled personnel delays health projects

Shortage of skilled personnel has dealt a heavy blow to the provision of additional health facilities in Botswana. Parliament heard on Wednesday, March 13, that the Ministry of Local Government suspended the construction of additional health posts, clinics and maternity wards during the 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 financial years because of shortage of skilled personnel, particularly midwives.

Local government minister Margaret Nasha said even some completed facilities such as Otse and Peleng East clinics remain unused because of shortage of midwives and nurses. Nasha said this when she requested Parliament to approve a development budget of Pula 1.2 billion for her ministry for the 2002/2003 financial year. Her ministry has shifted the emphasis to the building of additional houses for nurses as well as the re-construction and upgrading of some old facilities. She said the programme provides for basic furniture and equipment, procurement of ambulances, construction of incinerators and most importantly procurement of clinical waste vehicles to address the problem of waste generation from health and home based care programme. (DAILY NEWS ONLINE)