26 Jun 2023

Botswana’s partnership with Baylor College of Medicine has yielded positive results in fighting and combating HIV and cancer in children, the President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, has said.

Speaking at a courtesy call by a delegation from Baylor College of Medicine, Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation and Ministry of Health officials at the Office of the President on Monday, he said what Baylor started as an experimental project had turned up to be a success story that led to the establishment of the Botswana – Baylor Children’s Centre of Excellence Trust.

“It is a unique relationship between an entity from a world class country and a developing country. On behalf of our people, I will like to thank you for your humanity and essence of efficacy. We are where we are today as a result of your trust in us and assistance,” he said.

The courtesy call was part of the ongoing activities to celebrate the over 20 year’s partnership between Botswana and Baylor College of Medicine.

As such, Dr Masisi said the country was happy to move forward with what was started by former President Dr Festus Mogae as a sign of continuing with what was working for the country.

He said Botswana must be perceived as unique as it was lurching for a long live relations that was appropriate to addressing challenges at hand of HIV and Cancer.
Additionally, he said the country had proved to be a trusted partner and further noted that it was remarkable how Baylor was able to carry such responsibility and be willing to continue doing.
“We will converse and have ideas on how to improve out partnership going forward,” said President Masisi.

In an interview, President of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, Mr John Damonti, said when the relationship started the focus was on HIV and AIDS and its impact on women and children.

He said the partnership with Baylor College Medicine and the International Pediatric AIDS initiative with Texas children’s hospital and the government of Botswana, had effectively demonstrated that children could be treated in large numbers.

He explained that the project started off as a trial at Princess Marina Hospital and turned into building the first paediatric HIV centre in Africa and resulted in dramatic reduction in mortality of children as a result of HIV.

The result was growth and a blue print of how to treat children on the continent. The journey started here in Botswana, then Lesotho, eSwatini, Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi. He said the project was a huge success not only for Botswana, but the world as hundreds of thousands of children and their families were being treated.

Mr Damonti said he was overwhelmed with emotions when Botswana was declared by WHO as the first country with high HIV prevalence to have eliminated HIV transmission from mother to child in December 2021.

He credited the achievement to resourcing and expertise brought by Baylor and the international paediatric AIDS to the continent and the government’s commitment. Mr Damonti said such partnership must be held as exemplary to the rest of the world.

Mr Damonti said the 20 - year partnership had now transitioned from HIV to Cancer and observed that people were not only dying from the HIV virus but succumbing to non-communicable diseases such as cancer and type B diabetes.

Meanwhile, Director of Global Health at Texas Children’s Hospital, Mr Michael Mizwa said looking into the future the long term public health partnership was based much on trust and respect of systems.

“We have a saying in Texas that if we are going to start something new, let’s start it in Botswana, if it does not work in Botswana it’s not going to work anywhere else.“

Mr Mizwa said the future of the partnership would broaden the scope and look into non-communicable diseases.

He said in the past 12 months surgeons were, as a result of the partnership sent to Botswana to build capacity at Princess Marina and Sir Ketumile Masire hospitals as well as building partnerships between University of Botswana and Texas University of Medicine.

As such, Mr Mizwa said the partnership was focused on empowering and developing talent in the medical cadre and therefore was hoping for a bright future for the country. He said the commitment started with the then President Dr Mogae and was sustained to date by a leadership destined to make the country better.

For his part, the Minister of Health Dr Edwin Dikoloti said Baylor was the first to respond when the country was asking for assistance and appreciated that the partnership was destined to grow.

He said even though the country had surpassed the set standards in combating the spread, stopping new infections and providing treatment of HIV, it was important to continue with the fight and reach out to the limited numbers that were still lagging behind.

Dr Dikoloti said the country had achieved a lot towards attaining a desired goal of an HIV- free generation, therefore he was happy that partners such as Baylor were willing to continue working with the country in the fight against HIV and even expanding the scope.

He indicated that NCDs were a challenge to people who were HIV positive as they added to complications that were being experienced.

The Botswana – Baylor Children’s Centre of Excellence started in 2003 and established a Paediatric Centre of Excellence operating a Paediatric Infections Clinic serving HIV infected children, adolescents, young adults and their families. It also had a Paediatric Haematology and Oncology  centre that provided treatment and care for patients with paediatric cancer and haematological disorders. ENDS