Lobatse-based Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital is said to be operating smoothly with the supply of medication for patients uninterrupted as the hospital Pharmacy department staff are not on strike.
Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital Superintendent, Dr. Mpho Thula, has confirmed to The Telegraph that the hospital is coping, despite the absence of some staff members, and that there is no immediate risk of closure.
He, however, said there is a number of workers who are taking part in the public strike.
He revealed that the nursing department is the most affected, adding that a shortage of psychiatrists has long predated the strike.
The shortage of psychiatrists locally is due to the general shortage of psychiatrists in the market and not due to the strike,” said Thula.
He added that the biggest challenge the hospital is facing is that they  are being diverted from their day to day professional duties to help mitigate the effects caused by the ongoing public strike.
“Unlike in other health institutions in this country, supply of medication for our patients is not interrupted and our patients are being taken care of,” said Thula.
With the strike in its sixth week, the Ministry of Health’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Doreen Motshegwa, stated that the Ministry of Health is ready to welcome back officers who are on strike should they decide to resume duty at anytime during the duration of the strike.
“We are coping but it is a difficult situation in some hospitals,” said Motshegwa.
