26 May 2021

 Botswana has welcomed recommendations that capacity for manufacturing moderna (mRNA) and other vaccines urgently be built in Africa, Latin America and other low and middle-income regions. 

Speaking during a virtual public health emergencies preparedness and response meeting Tuesday,  Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said the country was ready to work with international and regional organisations as well as partners to translate that into a reality.

Botswana, he said, was looking forward to participating in WHO’s first world local production forum on enhancing access to medicines and other health technologies scheduled for next month. 

Noting that vaccination coverage against COVID-19 was far from being at the scale needed to reduce the burden of illness and curb transmission globally, Minister Dikoloti said government fully agreed that vaccine rollout needed to be scaled up urgently and equitably across the world. 

Regarding response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Dikoloti stated that Botswana started preparations early by activating the multi-sectoral Public Health Emergency and Preparedness Committee followed by the establishment of a presidential task force for coordination purposes. 

On vaccination, he said the  campaign was initiated in March leveraging on the existing Expanded Programme on Immunization. 

Dr Dikoloti said the use of digital health technologies was being explored as the ministry aimed to vaccinate all eligible persons aged 18 years and above. 

He said currently, only six per cent of the target population was vaccinated. 

With regard to implementation of the 2005 International Health Regulations, Dr Dikoloti said it was disrupted just like all other services as revealed by the Global Pulse survey.  

He therefore requested continued efforts to ensure strengthening of public health systems for the delivery of quality essential services. 

Dr Dikoloti congratulated the Group of Friends on the Pandemic Treaty and welcomed the decision to consider the development of a framework convention or other international agreement to strengthen the  regulations as well as WHO. 

He said Botswana looked forward to collaborating with other member states in the working group on strengthening WHO preparedness and response to health emergencies. Ends