Honourable Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Edwin G. Dikoloti has officially launched the e-Pharmacy and Oxygen Generating Plant at Jwaneng Mine Hospital.
The installed Collect & GO™ smart locker system (ePharmacy), a first in Botswana, has 236 lockers. The system enables de-congestion in the hospital especially during COVID-19 thereby minimizing transmission of disease and safeguarding first line health care workers, patients and consequently the public. The total medicine collection process takes just 30 seconds. The solution was done at a cost of P1. 3 million.
The constructed Oxygen Generating Plant harvests oxygen from the air and produces 500 litters of oxygen per minute or 2.5 drums per minute which is 30 thousand litters per hour. This equates to 150 drums per hour. The plant has a backup of 24 bottles all connected to an automated system for contingency plans such maintenance. The project was done at a cost of P3.5 million.
Delivering his keynote address, Honourable Minister Dr. Dikoloti said, "For the local health services industry, these solutions are a game changer in managing patients' medicine delivery and addressing Medical Oxygen needs. These projects are well aligned to our efforts and National Vision 2036 aspiration of a productive and healthy nation. In addition to offering standard patient benefits, these solutions will assist in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and maintaining treatment during the pandemic. Debswana has been our reliable partner in socio-economic development since it was established and the construction of these state-of-the-art facilities, is testament to the company's commitment to sustainable development and I applaud them for this."
Koolatotse Koolatotse, Jwaneng Mine General Manager, said: "2021 was another challenging year, as the battle against COVID-19 continued. That said, we are pleased to have been able to take further steps in our pursuit of getting medicine and care to our communities by providing breakthrough solutions such as these. The production output at our operation is very dependent on minimal disruption with regards to human resources and having the Collect & GO™ smart locker system allows employees to pick up their medication after hours or during lunch breaks which will drive production. The all-in-one Oxygen Generating Plant will assist in the production of large volumes of required medical oxygen to benefit patients in and around Jwaneng as well as Batswana as a whole."
For his part, Honourable Member of Parliament for Jwaneng-Mabutsane, Mephato Reatile applauded Debswana Jwaneng Mine leadership for their continued commitment and investment in the sustainable development of communities of influence. He pointed out that Jwaneng Mine is a good corporate citizen and that the two legacy projects are testament to that.