Botswana’s President, Duma Boko, on Monday declared a public health emergency after the collapse of the country’s medical supply chain left hospitals and clinics critically short of medicines and essential equipment.
In a televised national address, Boko said the military would take charge of an emergency distribution drive, with the first relief trucks expected to depart the capital, Gaborone, for remote regions later in the day.
“The medical supply chain as run by central medical stores has failed,” the president said. “This failure has led to a severe disruption to health supplies countrywide.”
The crisis follows warnings from the Ministry of Health earlier this month that medicines were running out due to financial difficulties. The ministry announced the postponement of all non-urgent surgeries on August 4, citing debts of over 1 billion pula owed to private health providers and suppliers.
The shortages have affected a wide range of treatments, including medicines for hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, asthma, cancer, reproductive health, mental health, and eye conditions. Supplies of sutures, dressings, and other surgical essentials have also dwindled.
To tackle the emergency, the finance ministry has released 250 million pula ($17.35 million) for urgent procurement of drugs and equipment. Boko also criticised inflated pricing and inefficiencies in the existing distribution system, which he said had caused “loss, waste, and damage” of vital stock.
Botswana’s public finances have been under pressure this year, following a slump in global diamond demand that has reduced government revenue in the world’s top diamond producer by value. In addition, U.S. funding cuts to Botswana’s health sector under the Trump administration have compounded the strain.
The government has not confirmed whether external funding cuts contributed directly to the crisis. Meanwhile, the military-led intervention is expected to prioritise delivery to the most underserved areas as the nation battles to stabilise its health system.
