Category: Health

Government has launched an urgent reset of Botswana’s public health system, moving to take over Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH), decongest Princess Marina Hospital and clear long-standing surgical backlogs, as pressure mounts across major referral facilities.

Addressing the nation on Thursday, Minister of Health Dr Stephen Modise said the reforms signalled a shift from crisis containment to structural recovery, guided by President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko and aligned with National Development Plan 12 and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme.

At the centre of the intervention is the rapid conversion of SKMTH from a private facility into a fully public hospital by April 1, 2026. The phased takeover begins immediately and is intended to relieve congestion at Princess Marina Hospital, where limited bed space, theatre capacity and diagnostic constraints have delayed surgeries and increased patient safety risks.
From early February, government will relocate key services to SKMTH, including accident and emergency care, radiology, dialysis, audiology and selected surgical services. Pharmacy and laboratory support services will operate from both hospitals from February 2 to ease bottlenecks. More than 20 specialist outpatient clinics — including cardiology, nephrology, neurology, infectious diseases and paediatric subspecialties — will also be transferred in the first phase.

Government is prioritising the clearance of surgical backlogs, starting with orthopaedics. At Princess Marina Hospital, 70 orthopaedic patients are awaiting surgery, including 54 fracture cases. The ministry expects to clear the backlog between February 2 and February 20 by using theatres and specialist staff at both PMH and SKMTH.

Orthopaedic bed capacity will increase from 66 to 106, enabling up to 10 operations per day, double current output. Similar measures will be applied to other pressured specialties, including gynaecology, where about 800 patients are awaiting surgery.

To stabilise diagnostics, government will temporarily outsource laboratory tests that public hospitals cannot perform due to obsolete or malfunctioning equipment, while long-term solutions under NDP12 and BETP are pursued. Three mobile X-ray machines have been deployed to Bobonong, Pandamatenga and Gumare.

On medicines, Dr Modise said Botswana had secured more than 338 essential drugs from the United Arab Emirates, with deliveries beginning February 6 and expected to last up to 7.5 months. Additional supplies are arriving from Zambia, while HIV, TB and cancer medicines are secured for at least 12 months.

Acknowledging public concern, Dr Modise said government’s response was now time-bound and action-driven.
“We are on top of these issues,” he said.

Government said medicine stocks are now expected to remain stable well into 2026.

With the citizenry growing increasingly frustrated over the apparent lapses within
the public health sector, marked largely by widespread drug shortages, President
Advocate Duma Boko has affi rmed government’s resolve to turn the sector.

The unfolding crisis in Botswana’s health system, a problem that has, according to
President Advocate Duma Boko,been simmering over decades ought to be halted and stopped from shaking the very soul of the people of Botswana and throwing
them into a state of despondency.

“Th e health questi on is a test for the country, if we cannot solve it, we cannot solve anything else,” he said during his tour of Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital (NRH) last Friday, underlining how unraveling this maze would bear testament to
government’s tenacity to dislodge any challenge that the nation could
find itself faced with at any point in the future.
And making the system whole again will require more than just boldness.
It will take a spirited fight, a fight that government is determined to not back down from.
“That is why we need to take drastic and unorthodox measures to solve it. We need a complete devolution,” President Boko said.
NRH superintendent Dr Ivan Kgetse, who led President Bokothrough various sections and wards of the hospital including the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),
the renal unit, the Accident and Emergency Department, the Radiology Unit and the Antenatal Ward said while the facility wasfaced with a plethora of challenges,
management and staff continue to do their absolute best to serve the
public.
Shortage of drugs, ageing equipment, some of which is already obsolete, as well as
shortage of specialist doctors such as vascular surgeons, radiologists and neurosurgeons daily present themselves as major stumbling blocks to effective service delivery.
According to Dr Kgetse, the lack of critical equipment such as an MRI machine and dialysis machines have compelled NRH to outsource the associated services,
and with the cost of a single MRI scan standing at around P3 000 per scan or test, government forks out untold amounts annually to pay private service providers.
Nyangabgwe hospital also grapples with congesti on, which in some instances is not due to high volumes of patients but is rather because certain spaces are
simply small.
The Neonatal ICU for instance has room for just eight beds, while the main ICU has space sufficient for only six.
“The unit is small as it has only eight beds. As a result, we refer a lot, and the costs are prohibitive,” Dr Kgetse said, in reference to the Neonatal ICU.
As for the main ICU, the doctor would love for the ward to have adequate equipment.
“There is inadequate equipment.For instance, we have got no backup
ventilators, so if one fails, we would not be able to manage the risk,” he explained.
As Nyangabgwe is the only tertiary hospital in the north and so unlike Princess Marina Hospital, which shares its patient load with the couple of private hospitals strewn across Gaborone, its location and the lack of enough private facilities to help ease its load, government should strive to strengthen the hospital so that
it is able to deliver according to
expectation.
Queuing with a loved one at the Accident and Emergency Department, Ms Elizabeth Morebodi of Block 5 in Francistown pleaded with President Boko for
government to avail medicines in health facilities.
“There are no medicines. We are being told to buy for ourselves yet many of us are grappling with unemployment,” she said, echoing the plea of many, who constantly
have to move from one private pharmacy to the next in search of drugs and at times hospitals supplies necessary for surgical procedures to be carried out.

The unfolding crisis in Botswana’s health system, a problem that has, according to President Advocate Duma Boko, been simmering over decades ought to be halted and stopped from shaking the very soul of the people of Botswana and throwing them into a state of despondency. 

“The health question is a test for the country, if we cannot solve it, we cannot solve anything else,” he said during his tour of Nyangabwe Referral Hospital (NRH) last Friday, underlining how unraveling this maze would bear testament to government’s tenacity to dislodge any challenge that the nation could find itself faced with at any point in the future. 

And making the system whole again will require more than just boldness. It will take a spirited fight, a fight that government is determined to not back down from. 

“That is why we need to take drastic and unorthodox measures to solve it. We need a complete devolution,” President Boko said. 

NRH superintendent Dr Ivan Kgetse, who led President Boko through various sections and wards of the hospital including the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the renal unit, the Accident and Emergency Department, the

Radiology Unit and the Antenatal Ward said while the facility was faced with a plethora of challenges, management and staff continue to do their absolute best to serve the public. 

Shortage of drugs, ageing equipment – some of which is already obsolete, as well as shortage of specialist doctors such as vascular surgeons, radiologists and neurosurgeons daily present themselves as major stumbling blocks to effective service delivery. 

According to Dr Kgetse, the lack of critical equipment such as an MRI machine and dialysis machines have compelled NRH to outsource the associated services, and with the cost of a single MRI scan standing at around P3 000 per scan or test, government forks out untold amounts annually to pay private service providers. 

Nyangabwe hospital also grapples with congestion which in some instances is not due to high volumes of patients but is rather because certain spaces are simply small. 

The Neonatal ICU for instance has room for just eight beds, while the main ICU has space sufficient for only six. 

“The unit is small as it has only eight beds. As a result, we refer a lot, and the costs are prohibitive,” Dr Kgetse said, in reference to the Neonatal ICU. As for the main ICU, the doctor would love for the ward to have adequate equipment. 

“There is inadequate equipment. For instance, we have got no back-up ventilators, so if one fails, we would not be able to manage the risk,” he explained. 

As Nyangabwe is the only tertiary hospital in the north and so unlike Princess Marina Hospital which shares its patient load with the couple of private hospitals strewn across Gaborone, its location and the lack of enough private facilities to help ease its load, government should strive to strengthen the hospital so that it is able to deliver according to expectation. 

Queuing with a loved one at the Accident and Emergency Department, Ms Elizabeth Morebodi of Block 5 in Francistown pleaded with President Boko for government to avail medicines in health facilities. 

“There are no medicines. We are being told to buy for ourselves yet many of us are grappling with unemployment,” she said, echoing the plea of many, who constantly have to move from one private pharmacy to the next in search of drugs and at times hospitals supplies necessary for surgical procedures to be carried out

Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BoMRA) has issued a warning against the unregulated sale and use of herbal medicines, particularly those sold on the streets and through social media platforms.

In an interview with the authority’s public relations officer, Mr Israel Kgosidiile, said BoMRA acknowledged that some members of the public might resort to herbal or traditional remedies when conventional medicines were unavailable.

He stressed that such products must always meet standards of safety, quality and efficacy before being used.

“BoMRA recognises that limited access to conventional medicines may lead some patients to seek alternative options, including herbal remedies, however, reliance on unregulated products poses significant health risks and should not be viewed as a safe substitute for regulated medical treatment,” said Mr Kgosidiile.

He noted that herbal medicines, while often regarded as natural, were not automatically safe, adding that products imported into Botswana must be registered or authorised by BoMRA before they could be distributed or sold.

Mr Kgosidiile confirmed that BoMRA regulated herbal medicines under the Medicines and Related Substances Act of 2013 and its accompanying regulations of 2019.

He pointed out that the authority oversaw registration, licensing, product evaluation, labeling and post-market surveillance, adding that herbal products sold without authorisation were considered illegal.

“The sale of herbal medicines on the streets or through social media platforms without BoMRA authorisation is unlawful, medicines can only be sold through licensed and approved premises and by authorised persons,” he said.

Mr Kgosidiile therefore, said BoMRA expressed concern over the proliferation of herbal products advertised on platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, adding that many of those products, the authority warned, were of unknown origin, lacked proper labeling, and made unverified therapeutic claims.

“We strongly warn the public against purchasing medicines through social media, such products are often unsafe, counterfeit or contaminated. Members of the public should only obtain medicines from licensed pharmacies and authorised outlets,” Mr Kgosidiile warned.

He confirmed that the authority had put in place various enforcement measures to protect the public, including market surveillance, product sampling and the seizure of illegal items while sellers found in violation of the law might face closure of their premises, prosecution or other penalties.

While BoMRA’s main mandate is regulation, it works closely with the Ministry of Health and other partners to support medicine availability within the national health supply chain, reaffirming that patient safety remains a top priority.

“Natural does not mean safe, the public should only use medicines, whether herbal or conventional, that have been approved by BoMRA and obtained through legal channels,” said Mr Kgosidiile.

He therefore, encouraged the public to report any suspected illegal sales of medicines and to always seek professional medical advice before using any herbal or traditional remedies.