KEY POINTS
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Botswana health emergency declared as medical supply chain collapses.
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Government approves 250 million pula for emergency procurement.
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Drug shortages hit patients with chronic and critical conditions.
Botswana has declared a nationwide public health emergency as hospitals and clinics across the country run short of essential drugs and supplies, President Duma Boko said in a televised address late Monday.
The crisis, triggered by what Boko described as a complete failure of the central medical supply chain, has forced the government to deploy the military to oversee emergency distribution. Trucks carrying medicines were expected to leave the capital, Gaborone, for remote regions the same evening.
Health officials had warned as early as August 4 that supplies were running dangerously low, prompting the postponement of all non-urgent surgeries. Medicines for hypertension, cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, asthma, reproductive health, and mental health conditions are already scarce, alongside shortages of basic hospital consumables such as dressings and sutures.
Government scrambles to stabilize collapsing system
Boko said the finance ministry has approved 250 million pula ($17.35 million) in emergency funding to procure medicines and equipment. But he acknowledged that inflated procurement costs, waste, and systemic failures in distribution had worsened the crisis.
According to Reuters, the health ministry also owes about 1 billion pula to private health providers and suppliers, a backlog that has strained the sector further. The downturn in the global diamond market — Botswana’s key source of revenue — has squeezed the budget, while cuts in U.S. aid previously supporting the country’s health sector have compounded the challenges.
In his address, Boko blamed structural inefficiencies for the collapse and promised reforms. “The medical supply chain has failed,” he said. “This failure has led to severe disruption of health supplies countrywide.”
For now, the government’s priority is to restore medicine access in rural areas, where shortages are most acute. But with hospitals already stretched and patients bearing the brunt of the crisis, many fear the emergency measures may be too little, too late.
