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Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness​​ ​

Health Services

It is one of the core values of Debswana Diamond Company to conduct all its operations in a manner that will minimise impact on the environment and uphold the safety and health of our employees.

We therefore commit ourselves to:
  • Continually improve our safety, occupational health and environmental performance
  • Comply with all applicable laws, regulations and other commitments
  • Prevent work-related diseases, injuries and damages to property
  • Treat the protection of safety, occupational health and the environment as the responsibility of everyone working at Debswana

The OLDM Health SERVICES Department

The Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines (OLDM) Health Services Department’s mandate is to provide  mine employees and their dependents with timely, quality and affordable healthcare. The department is also mandated to provide health care to the general community of Orapa while also serving as a referral center for Botswana government primary hospitals in Boteti sub district.

The department has a 65 bed hospital, occupational health clinic, two mine clinics and a community health clinic. The hospital, which is located in Orapa, provides 24-hour service. The two mine clinics that are located at Letlhakane and Damtshaa mines also operate 24-hours a day while occupational health and community health clinics which are both located in Orapa operates an 8 hours day shift.

Clinical services offered by OLDM Health Services Department are as follows: Medical and Surgical; operating theatre, Dental; Emergency Response; Rehabilitation; Clinical Psychology; Diagnostic Laboratory; Radiological Imaging and clinical Pharmacy. All the above services are available for both inpatient and outpatients clients. In addition to the above, the department offers the following special services: occupational health service; child and maternal care program; HIV / AIDS disease management program; TB management program and a comprehensive and integrated Employee Wellness Program which also includes Employee Assistance Program.

The department also has a relationship with private hospitals that offer specialist medical services. Patients who need specialist services are referred to these hospitals.

The Jwaneng Hospital

Jwaneng Hospital is fully funded by Debswana and provides services to mine employees, their dependants and members of the public within Jwaneng and surrounding areas. The hospital provides district-level care and functions as a referral hospital to clinics within Jwaneng and surrounding areas.

The hospital has 87 beds and offers holistic care in all the major disciplines including maternity and 24-hour accident and emergency services. Other services offered at the hospital include general out-patient; a pharmacy; diagnostic imaging; a laboratory; physiotherapy & rehabilitation and dental services with a visiting orthodontist.

Employees have access to health promotion and disease prevention through workplace wellness programmes, including an HIV/Aids disease management programme.

The hospital operates an infectious diseases care centre (IDCC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to offer anti-retroviral therapy and associated HIV and Aids treatment and care services to all qualifying citizens at no cost.

Jwaneng Mine Hospital was the first health facility in Botswana to be accredited by the Council for Health Services Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA) in 2007.

 

Jwaneng Mine Clinics

Green Area Clinic

The Green area clinic is located within the green area of the mine. The primary role of the clinic is the provision of medical surveillance services to the mine. Additionally the clinic is able to see clients with urgent primary health needs, as well as act as an additional emergency response resource for the health services department. This is an occupational health clinic.

Blue Area Clinic

The Blue Area clinic is the mine’s emergency station within the mine. It is equipped with an advanced life support four-wheel-drive ambulance, and is manned by qualified health professionals at all times. It is designed with possible mine emergencies or disasters in mind, and is led by an emergency response officer. It is also capable of delivering primary health care to employees.

Wellness Programme

The Debswana Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Fund Trust was established in May 2001 through a Deed of Trust and hence registered with the Deeds Office. Its main objective then was to provide financial assistance in the form of a subsidy (100% subsidy) for management of HIV & Aids for HIV positive employees, their legal spouses and dependents through a comprehensive Disease Management Programme. The Fund has since grown and expanded its scope from a purely HIV & Aids Programme to a Wellness one offering the following services:

•  Disease (HIV/Aids) management programme  (Antiretroviral treatment)

•  Lifestyle management programme (wellness education and promotion) 

•  Employee Assistance Programme (Psycho-therapy and counselling)

•  Employee Financial wellbeing Programme

The ART Fund is funded through a defined benefit by eight contributing employers, namely; Orapa & Letlhakane mines, Jwaneng Mine, Debswana Corporate Centre, Diamond Trading Company Botswana, De Beers Global Sightholder Sales, De Beers Holding Botswana, Morupule Coal Mine and Debswana Pension Fund). It membership to date is approximately 5 500 employees.

Recently, the Fund has reviewed its strategy. The new strategy incorporates all the wellness legs. There is a need to vigorously communicate this operational strategy to the whole business at all levels. Our desire is to promote and reinforce mindsets and behaviours towards 'My health, my wealth' of what is expected of our employees. For this to happen, all employees must be fully aware of what the Wellness services and the benefits to their general health and wellbeing. The organization must also become aware of the values of the wellness programme to production.

There is a plan underway to rename the Fund from ART Fund to Wellness Fund, this is to indicate the move from solely focusing on HIV treatment to cover wellness holistically. The new strategy is pillared on the following;

•  Vision:  An enduring and impactful contribution towards employees' wellbeing.

•  Mission:  To Improve productivity in the workplace by empowering employees to make positive lifestyle choices through the delivery of innovative wellness solutions.

•  Core Purpose:  Promoting wellness to achieve superior results.