14 Feb 2017

The Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) applauds government for prioritising health as evidenced by an increased budgetary allocation of the Ministry of Health and Wellness which is the second largest on the national budget.

Commenting on the 2017 Budget Speech by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Kenneth Matambo, BONELA states in a press release that the 16.6 per cent share of the recurrent budget is a welcome development as it has surpassed the Abuja Declaration which says that African countries should allocate at least 15 per cent of their annual budget to improve the health sector.

BONELA states that while government has demonstrated a commitment to improve health by increasing allocation of the recurrent budget for health, the organisation implores the health minister to ensure that there is a significant allocation of the budget towards Key Populations (KP) and high impact interventions for KP given the high rates of HIV prevalence among vulnerable and marginalised groups.

The release states that dependence on external funding for KP programmes in Botswana is not sustainable given the sharp decline in donor aid, hence the need for domestic financing.

“Furthermore, BONELA implores the Ministry of Health and Wellness to champion legislative reform on KP to facilitate access to health services such as the ‘treat all’ strategy and show returns on investment,” states the release.

BONELA also applauds government‘s increased investment in Social Development and Affirmative Action to strengthen programmes geared towards uplifting PLWDs.

 However, the release states that without a conducive legal environment to promote, protect and fulfil the rights of People Living with Disabilities, these aspirations will be futile.

 Without a mandatory law that ensures the protection of rights for People Living with Disabilities, BONELA states that the proposed affirmative action will be subject to duty bearer’s discretion, thereby creating inequalities and abuse of power.

“We therefore strongly urge government to move swiftly in reviewing the National Policy on Disability so as to facilitate the enactment of a law that will allow People Living with Disability to effectively claim their rights,” the release states.

BONELA urges government to be responsive to labour issues and address working conditions including those of health care workers to facilitate effective delivery of the proposed NDP 11 mid-term priorities.

“While we acknowledge that the minister made reference to the improvement of staff housing, there is need to address specific structural and welfare challenges relating to human resource capacity to deliver quality health services to all,” the release states.ENDS