14 Mar 2023

The formation of Botswana Public Health Institute (BPHI) will help prepare the country to effectively respond to public health emergencies such as COVID-19.

BPHI, is a semi-autonomous department under the Ministry of Health which is at the transition phase of establishment with an aim to operationalise the coordination of public health functions.

Speaking at the BPHI reference committee workshop in Maun recently the Director of Public Health Emergency Management Dr Thebeyame Macheke stated that BPHI was essential in safeguarding the country against threats and hazards.

He said of recent there had been frequent outbreaks of epidermis of infectious diseases like COVID-19 which showed that there was need to build resilience as a country to respond to such outbreaks.Dr Macheke stated that Botswana being a signatory to the International Health Regulation (IHR) was obliged to ensure that all capacities of IHR were implemented in order to prepare countries to build resilience.

Furthermore the director highlighted that the African Union formed the Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) so that the continent had a regional resilience and preparedness against pandemics.

“The Africa CDC ensures that member states formulate their own Public Health Institutes hence why we are in the process of establishing the BPHI as part of the agreement to build a resilience from emergencies.’’

The director said the COVID-19 revealed gaps in the response mechanisms for pandemics which called for establishment of institute such as BPHI or centres of excellence.

He stated that BPHI was set up to work with Ministry of Health and other sectors to ensure that everyone was aligned in terms of preparedness in the event of another outbreak.

Dr Macheke said BPHI and the Office of Director of Health Services (DHS) were not separate entities but a continuum working hand in hand to bridge gaps and enhance capacities whenever the need arose.

He highlighted that the emergency Presidential powers were effected in order to succeed in response to COVID-19, “that kind of situation showed us that there was a gap somewhere because we thought that the Public Health Act and the office of the DHS had all the powers to ensure we are well prepared to respond to any emergencies.’’

He pointed out that BPHI would be a complimentary institute to fill gaps in the healthcare system to strengthen preparedness by reinforcing financials, supply chain, equipment, policies, procedures, guidelines so that all systems were all aligned at all times.

Dr Macheke said this workshop formulated policies documents and regulations for the BPHI to be submitted to Parliament for adjudication and approval. ENDS