The Quthing District Administrator (DA) Mr. Bonang Tlali has raised concern over lack of teamwork among heads of government and non-government departments in the district.

Addressing Heads of Departments at their last 2024 monthly meeting held at the DA’s office, Mr. Tlali said teamwork will assist departments to address challenges that hinder effective service delivery to the public.

He said participants could easily address various common challenges that hinder service delivery through sharing of ideas and experiences and resources for promotion of access to services to meet community needs and improve their lives.

Presenting 2023-24 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS) report at the same event, District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr. ‘Makarants’i Mohlalisi said the survey has been carried out to provide data to the country.

She said the LDHS is based on a national representative sample and provides estimates at the national and district level, as well as rural and urban areas.

Dr. Mohlalisi said the survey focused on four (4) thematic areas namely, stunted children under five (5), prevalence of anemia in children aged 6 to 59 month and women aged 15 to 59, national schedule vaccination coverage of children aged 12 to 23 months and modern use of family planning by married women aged 15 to 49.

She highlighted that according to classification of districts based on percentages gained on each thematic areas in the report, in stunted children the national results are 38% and Quthing is 38 %, while national prevalence of anemia in children and women with anemia is nine (9) and the district has four (4) percent.

The DMO further said on national schedule vaccination coverage of children who are fully vaccinated according to national schedule, the national percentage is 68 % while the district has 69%, adding that in modern use of family planning of married women, the national percentage is 37% while Quthing has 15%.

She added that in cases of stunting anemia in children are provided with supplements and also encourage and guide parents and guardians on how to improve feeding of children to achieve a balanced diet to avoid them since they are caused by malnutrition, while women are also provided with supplements that also encourage a balanced diet.

She further said in vaccination of children, the department of health provides the services at health clinics and outreach to meet those who fail to go to the health clinics. She said family planning services are provided at health clinics and at village level by village health workers.

She appealed to attendants at the meeting to support the district department of health to make health service delivery to the Quthing community a success. 

Speaking at the same event the District Environmental Officer Mr. Relebohile Kuenene said the District Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) formed with different stakeholders in health issues is working with different divisions in the departments in mobilization of the community to go to health clinics and health campaign for prevention and treatment of diseases. 

The District Home Economics Officer from department of agriculture and food security said in an effort to fight malnutrition among children and adults the department through nutrition division has established nutrition clubs in the district to promote food production and for easier access to different types of food for maintenance of balanced diet.

Quthing has eight health centres namely: Mphaki, Makoae, ST. Matthews, St. Gabriel. Tsatsane, Dilili-Ddilli, Tsatsane and Villa-Maria.