Botswana’s Ministry of Health has announced a raft of temporary measures to address severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies across the public health sector due to ongoing financial challenges and a mounting debt crisis.
In a statement issued on Monday, 04 August, Dr Christopher Nyanga, speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, revealed that the government is grappling with a P1 billion debt owed to private health facilities and suppliers, a situation that has strained the availability of essential medical resources.
Medicines for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, asthma, tuberculosis, mental health disorders, and eye conditions are reportedly in short supply.
Shortages also extend to basic but vital medical commodities like dressings and sutures.
As part of the response, the Ministry has announced the suspension of non-urgent and elective procedures, including joint replacement surgeries, organ transplants, and prosthetic eye insertions, particularly those that require referrals to private facilities.
Only emergency and urgent surgical procedures will be prioritised until further notice.
The Ministry has also suspended its chronic medication dispensing programme previously operated through private pharmacies, further limiting access for patients managing long-term conditions.
Despite the challenges, Dr Nyanga assured the public that health workers remain committed to saving lives and that patients scheduled for postponed procedures will continue to be monitored and managed by their local health care providers. He said:
The Ministry once more assures the public that it expects this to be a temporary arrangement where upon normalcy in its operations should resume within the foreseeable future. Regular updates on these issues will be made so that the public is kept informed.
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