In a stride to improve health care standards and safety, Boitekanelo College launched the start of joint programmes with the Council for Health Service Accreditation for Southern Africa (COHSASA) and the University of the Free State at Cresta Lodge Gaborone early this week.
The college also signed memoranda of understanding with the two partners.
Welcoming guests to the ceremony, the college’s Managing Director and co-founder, Dr Tiro Mampane said that the college had not lost track of their vision to provide excellent standards through relevant training and support.
“We have crafted our niche in the health industry and we have focused all our resources in ensuring the citizens of this country and the region receive quality health care.
“Against this background that we have seen it fit to channel our limited resources in fostering the partnerships we are inaugurating today to enable our college to continue playing an important part as pre-eminent service providers in the field.”
Mampane stated that their programmes and initiatives are relevant to the needs of the country and further said that the collaboration with COHSASA would add to the existing structures. “Together we can stand to win, for this requires a concerted effort,” he said and added;
“In our drive to bring the best health training into the country, we have benchmarked with world class institutions and we are lucky to have found one in the region, University of The Free State. With its partnership we will be able to positively respond to the challenges of the country and the SADC region at large by initiating advanced training in Clinical Nursing disciplines.”
When the first privately owned health college started, Dr Khumo Seipone said they were skeptical but now they are proud. She further said that the country was struggling with critical nurses and under five mortality rates therefore dialogue with Boitekanelo College is critical for the good of the country.
Seipone revealed that the ministry had recently launched the National Health Standards which are meant to improve service delivery in all health facilities as well as to make the standards to be enacted so that all private and public health facilities comply.
She said; “This is a true public private partnership that will go a long way in ensuring local capacity building that will lead to a sustainable system which will result in improved cost effectiveness of the programme.”
COHSASA Chief Executive officer, Professor Stuart Whittaker commended Botswana saying even though it faces challenges the country was trying hard to address them. Cape Town based COHSASA is the only accreditation body for health care in Africa accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua).
The not for profit organization assists health care facilities in developing countries to deliver quality care to their clients through sustained improvement using internationally recognized standards and based on patient safety principles and operational research.
Whittaker further said; “We see Africa as our jewel.”
University of Free State, School of Nursing representative, Professor Magda Mulder said she was impressed by Boitekanelo. “You strive for excellence,” she said and added; “You made an impression on me. We are previlleged to be associated with Boitekanelo. ” She further said that she was impressed that even before the memorandum of understanding was signed, the college had already developed a curriculum.
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