Othorsurge Botswana last week Friday held a ground breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of a refurbishment of the Ostomy Clinic at Nyangabwe Referral Hospital (NRH) in Francistown.
An ostomy clinic provides patients with long-term access to a Certified Ostomy Care Nurse (COCN) or Certified Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse (CWOCN) specialist essential for people requiring ostomies. An ostomy is a surgery done to create an opening (stoma) from an area inside the patient body to the outside and it treats a number of diseases of the digestive or urinary systems.
The refurbishment project will cost around P200 000. It is anticipated to be complete by April 2021 and will help improve services for Ostomy patients at NRH.
The upgrade will include among others; refurbishment of the electrical works, installation of medical equipment and new furniture.
Speaking at the event, the Hospital Superintendent at Nyangabwe Referral Hospital Dr Lowell Chansa said the charity gesture by Orthosurge will go a long way in addressing congestion challenges faced by the hospital.
“From 1989 when the hospital was built hirtherto; there has been a growth in population and disease patterns have also changed. Modalities have also changed. Therefore, this project will help us deliver services to Ostomy patients with ease. It will also help the ostomy patients with the privacy and the dignity that they deserve,” he said.
Dr Chansa said that from time to time they have had challenges of space at the hospital with regard to Ostomy patients and this has given them sleepless nights. He was very happy adding that once the project is complete, the patients will find it very easy to access their services.
For his part the managing director at Othorsurge Oremeng Motshegare said the charity gesture is part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to give back to the community. He said there was an urgent need to do such a project at Nyangabwe hospital as Ostomates(Ostomy patients) did not have adequate ostomy services.
“Looking at the numbers and their conditions we needed to create a dignified facility for patients with special conditions. We had a similar project at Princes Marina in Gaborone,” he said in conclusion.
Orthosurge Botswana is a wholly owned citizen company which is based in Gaborone and it specializes in pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, surgical and biomedical engineering services.
According to scientific research, ostonomy may be necessary due to birth defects, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, incontinence and many other medical conditions. It can also be necessary in cases of severe abdominal or pelvic trauma resulting from accidents or from injuries sustained during military service.
