05/08/2025
Morena leba kwano💔💔💔
𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦
𝗕𝗬 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛
𝗛𝗢𝗡. 𝗗𝗥 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗘
𝟬𝟱 𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿.
𝟭. 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀, I stand before you this afternoon to address you on a pressing issue that has been affecting our healthcare system and, by extension, the health and well-being of our citizens, your constituents, for quite some time. As you may all be aware, the Ministry of Health has in the recent past, been facing significant challenges regarding the availability of essential medicines and other medical commodities.
𝟮. 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, my Ministry has taken a position to brief this House and the Nation about this state of affairs. We have decided that we will keep honourable members here, and members of the
public updated about this issue. I therefore, stand before this august house today, to provide a comprehensive update on the current situation regarding the shortage of medicines and medical commodities across our government health facilities.
𝟯. 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, the Ministry of Health is currently not able to offer all comprehensive health services that it should under normal circumstances. This situation has been aggravated by the outstanding financial obligations owed to suppliers and private health facilities, amounting to more than one billion P**a. These arrears have directly impacted our ability to procure and supply necessary medical products to our public health institutions on time and in adequate quantities.
𝟰. As we speak now, the Ministry of Health owes BWP 433 039 793.62 in medical fees. These were expenses incurred for outsourcing of patients to private/non government service providers, for services that are not available in government facilities. The bulk of the debt is for patients that were admitted at private facilities like Bokamoso Private Hospital, Gaborone Private Hospital, Sidilega Private Hospital, Francistown Academic Hospital and Riverside Private Hospital, as well as Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital, amongst others. These were mainly for life-saving ICU care, operations, as well as for patients receiving chronic life-saving dialysis treatment.
𝟱. 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, although the ministry has been limiting the number of patients outsourced to private health facilities
since last year, by referring only critical patients needing life-saving treatment like ICU and dialysis, this has still not
helped reduce the financial burden we are in. This is because these services are expensive. Outsourced ICU services cost the government on average, about BWP 300 million per year (BWP 24 million per month), while outsourced dialysis services cost the government roughly BWP 156 million per year (BWP 13 million per month).
𝟲. 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀, although the Ministry of health was allocated BWP 254 million for medical fees for the financial year 2025/2026, these funds have already been depleted as they were used to clear outstanding debts. Patients however, continue to need these life-saving treatments. There is therefore, a need for more funds to continue providing these services, as well as for buying all medicines needed by our patients.
𝟳. 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, some of the key medicines and medical supplies currently in short supply include those used for managing:
Hypertension.
Diabetes.
Eye conditions.
Asthma.
Sexual and Reproductive Health conditions.
Cancers.
Tuberculosis.
HIV Medications
Mental Health Conditions.
We also have a noticeable shortage of consumables like sutures and dressings.
𝟴. 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀, this shortage of funds and medicines has also regrettably, reduced our capacity to continue referring patients to private health facilities for services that cannot be provided within public health institutions. As a result, the Ministry of Health has decided to temporarily suspend referrals for elective and non urgent medical conditions and operations, to private health facilities. This includes, but is not limited to:
Arthroplasty (joint replacement surgeries).
Insertion of prosthetic eyes.
Organ transplants.
And other conditions/operations deemed to be non life threatening.
𝟵. 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, all these and other non-life threatening conditions will, in the meantime be managed internally at the nearest health facility, to avoid deterioration and complications, while a permanent solution is being sought.
𝟭𝟬. 𝗜𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, the Ministry of Health has also temporarily suspended the Chronic Medicines Dispensing Programme (CMDP) conducted through private pharmacies. This program has been invaluable in improving accessibility and convenience for patients managing chronic conditions, but it cannot be sustained without the necessary funding capability. In the meantime, those who have been enrolled in this program, are advised to seek the same services at their nearest public health facility.
𝟭𝟭. 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, these measures, although regrettable, are necessary to manage our constrained resources prudently and ensure equitable allocation towards essential and emergency health services. I also wish to emphasize that this is a temporary measure that we do not expect to take a long time.
𝟭𝟮. The Ministry is also actively exploring avenues to address the outstanding financial obligations owed to suppliers and partner health facilities, with the goal of normalizing procurement and referral processes as soon as possible. My management team is currently engaging the Ministry of Finance on possible options that Government can take with immediate effect. I have also engaged the Vice President and Minister of Finance and Cabinet, and advised on the urgency of the situation.
𝟭𝟯. Further, my Ministry has started mobilizing funds from non-life saving accounts to augment funds for the needed medicines and medical commodities. We have also engaged external funders and partners and are currently exploring opportunities for re-programming some funds so that they help us address these current challenges. We also anticipate that our decision to use UN organ procurement platforms that reduce the cost of products like UNICEF and the Global Drug Facility (GDF), will help us to secure the much needed medicines and medical commodities quicker and at lower cost.
𝟭𝟰. 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, I therefore, wish to assure all patients and caregivers that the Ministry of Health remains fully committed to saving lives and providing support to all our citizens. Health workers across the country are being advised to monitor and manage patients scheduled for non-urgent operations, and to ensure that they receive the best possible care from their nearest public health facilities.
𝟭𝟱. 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, I truly understand the anxiety and possible panic that many Batswana may be experiencing. I urge them to trust us to fix this problem. As already alluded to, this is not a permanent situation. We are currently working round the clock to improve financial management, secure outstanding payments, and strengthen the supply chain resilience.
𝟭𝟲. The Ministry reiterates its commitment to transparency and will continue to update this House regularly on progress made in alleviating the shortages affecting our health system.
𝟭𝟳. 𝗜𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, the Ministry of Health deeply regrets the impact these shortages and service limitations have on our citizens. We ask for the understanding and patience of the Honourable Members and the public as we work diligently to rectify these issues.
𝟭𝟴. I also want to express my gratitude to all healthcare workers across the country for continuing to provide care and support to our citizens despite these challenges. I truly thank them for their sacrifices.
𝟭𝟵. I have no doubt that, soon, and very soon, we will overcome. This is definitely not insurmountable. This will definitely come to pass.
𝟮𝟬. 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
