30 Mar 2021

The Emergency Supply Chain Playbook will help Botswana strengthen its preparedness capabilities by focusing on emergencies caused by human and animals diseases as well as environmental factors posing epidemic and pandemic threats.

  This was said by Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Edwin Dikoloti during the handover of the playbook in Gaborone on March 30

   Dr Dikoloti noted that the playbook emphasised both the preparedness and response phases of emergency planning and would therefore go a long way in helping the country deal with supply chain challenges presented by outbreaks.

He said the toolkit, going under the tagline “Prepared to respond”, provided quick access to data visibility on mapping commodities and quantities required, available and required storage for commodities as well as waste management during a public health emergency.

He said the rollout of the playbook was already underway in the southern and Kweneng regions led by regional health management team coordinators.

Dr Dikoloti said the playbook would be vital in addressing pertinent health issues as it came at a time when the world was facing the effects of public health emergencies which included wide-spreading pathogenic infectious diseases and other biological threats. 

He commended the supply chain framework system saying it strengthened the ministry’s  response towards COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s public commodity supply chain in general.

The minister said studies had revealed that countries responded rapidly and more effectively to pandemic threats when they had a well-functioning supply chain.

Dr Dikoloti said the ministry would improve supply chain management through the development, review and implementation of its processes to enable the availability of requisite commodities and supplies for health service delivery.

He commended the Central Medical Stores for making significant strides in strengthening supply chains, a move which he said was in line with the Ministry’s 2017-2023 strategy.

Minister Dikoloti further applauded the United States government for assisting in strengthening the public health emergency supply chain system by sharing best practice.

For his part, US  ambassador to Botswana, Mr Craig Cloud  said his  government would forever strive to develop sustainable health care services across the world. 

 The US government he said, was grateful for decades of joint investment into Botswana’s laboratories, health facilities and community health care system. Ends