A Refreshed Kasane Hospital, A Dignified Experience for Patients

For someone seeking healthcare, the experience begins long before treatment. It begins with the environment they enter, the condition of the facility, the privacy they are afforded and whether the space allows them to feel respected and cared for.

It is against this backdrop that we officially handed over the refurbished Kasane Primary Hospital, alongside essential equipment and furnishings aimed at strengthening the functionality of the facility and improving the experience of patients and healthcare workers.

The refurbishment is part of our growing commitment to contributing to the healthcare environments in which people live and receive care, particularly in communities where the quality and functionality of health facilities can have a meaningful impact on service delivery.

For patients, the difference can be seen in details that directly shape their experience. Improvements such as hospital curtains provide greater privacy within the wards, allowing patients to receive care with greater dignity and a stronger sense of personal space. New waiting area seating also contributes to a more comfortable environment for those accessing services.

The intervention has also included the handover of drip stands, wheelchairs, blood pressure machines, office chairs for staff and cafeteria cutlery. These additions support the day-to-day functioning of the hospital, helping create an environment in which healthcare workers can provide services which patients can access in a more conducive space.

Speaking during the handover, Boitekanelo College Provost and Founder, Dr Tiro Mampane, said the intervention reflects the College’s understanding of its responsibility to the communities in which it operates.

“At Boitekanelo College, our motto ‘Changing Lives’ is about impacting the communities we live in,” he said.

Dr Mampane also reflected on the College’s 19-year relationship with the Ministry of Health, through which Boitekanelo students have gained practical, on-the-ground experience across the healthcare system. He noted that the College is becoming increasingly intentional about contributing to hospitals that also support student training, with similar interventions having been undertaken at Marina, Nyangabgwe and Palapye.

This connection between healthcare infrastructure and education is important. Healthcare facilities are not only places where patients receive services; they are also a space where future healthcare professionals learn, develop their skills and experience the realities of service delivery. Strengthening these spaces therefore has value for both the communities they serve and the students who train within them.

For the Ministry of Health, the intervention also speaks to the broader need to strengthen healthcare services beyond major urban centres. Assistant Minister Hon. Lawrence Ookeditse highlighted the importance of addressing geographic and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare development, noting that investments in facilities such as Kasane Primary Hospital significantly contributes towards narrowing this gap.

The impact is perhaps most visible at patient level. Council Chairperson, Hon. Johane Chenjekwa, shared that having engaged directly with the wards, he had seen the difference the improvements were making for patient visiting the facility. The addition of curtains, in particular, has helped restore a measure of privacy for patients - a simple but important part of maintaining dignity during periods of illness and vulnerability.

The refurbishment therefore represents more than an improvement to infrastructure. It is an investment in the environment in which healthcare is delivered, the people who provide it and the patients who depend on it.

This is what Changing Lives looks like beyond the classroom. It is about using the institution’s resources, partnerships and expertise to contribute to stronger healthcare environments and better experiences for the communities we serve.

A refreshed Kasane Primary Hospital is ultimately about more than how the facility looks. It is about creating a space where patients can receive services with greater comfort and dignity, where healthcare workers are better supported in their daily work, and where students can continue gaining meaningful practical exposure as they prepare to serve communities around the country.