13 Feb 2024

The Ministry of Health has prioritised purchasing more ambulances in the coming financial year, Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe has said.

He said the shortage of ambulances had been a challenge for some time, and that the ministry introduced the cluster model, where necessary, to curb the shortage.

He noted that during the 2021/2022 financial year, his ministry purchased 120 ambulances, which were distributed to various facilities across the country taking into consideration the hardest hit areas.

He pointed out that over and above the 120 ambulances, 16 more vehicles were purchased with fitted passenger ambulances, including 31 other vehicles which were also used as ambulances in the 2022/2023 financial year.

Mr Lelatisitswe said in total 167 ambulances were purchased in the past three financial years, adding  ‘although more still needs to be done’.

He said the shortage was exacerbated by the vastness of districts with difficult terrains where ambulances experienced frequent breakdowns.

He said while the ministry was considering outsourcing ambulance services in the near future, they were currently developing a national trauma and emergency management system, which would be completed by March 2025.

He highlighted that potential benefits and advantages associated with privatising ambulances were not limited to creating employment and empowering citizens only, but were to support a private sector led economy, improve efficiency, strengthen partnerships between government and private sector, and reduce the burden of maintenance and repair of ambulances by the ministry.

Mr Lelatisitswe noted that the privatisation of ambulances could also create challenges such as coordination of services, quality assurance as well as increased cost of services, hence the need to develop a comprehensive national plan first.

Member of Parliament for Kanye North, Mr Thapelo Letsholo had asked the minister to update Parliament on the current state of ambulance services in government health facilities and the potential solutions for better healthcare delivery in Botswana.

MP Letsholo also wanted to know if there was a shortage of ambulances or a problem with the availability of ambulances in government health facilities, reasons for the shortage or availability issue.

He further wanted to know if the ministry had considered privatisation of ambulance services, and what were the factors that had led to or prevented the consideration of such a move.

The assistant  minister was to elucidate on the potential benefits and advantages associated with privatising ambulance services, including any improvements in service quality and efficiency. ENDS