27 Oct 2025

Botswana is beginning to recover from the severe shortage of medicines and medical commodities that prompted the declaration of a State of Public Health Emergency in August this year.

Giving an update on Friday, Minister of Health Dr Stephen Modise said the availability of essential medicines and medical supplies across public health facilities has improved from 17 per cent in August to 36 per cent by early October 2025.

Dr Modise assured the nation that government was working tirelessly to restore full supply levels and prevent a recurrence of the crisis.

“We are not out of the woods yet, but we are on a rebound mode, our target is to reach 97 per cent availability and maintain at least a three-month stock at Central Medical Stores (CMS) by December,” said Dr Modise.

Giving a background to the situation, he said President Advocate Duma Boko declared a State of Public Health Emergency on August 25, following widespread medicine shortages that crippled service delivery in hospitals and clinics.

He mentioned that the shortages affected key areas such as theatre, imaging, laboratory, intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments.

“To address the crisis, the President appointed a National Steering Committee and Task Force comprising experts from government and the private sector.”

Dr Modise revealed that the Health Task Force reached out to international partners for urgent support, adding that Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates were among the first to donate medicines and commodities, while local entities such as HB Botswana, Cospharm Investments, Maun Private Hospital and La Grace Medical Centre also contributed.

He highlighted that the World Health Organization (WHO) and other development partners continued to provide assistance, with additional consignments expected from the Antwerp Diamond Centre and other friendly nations.

He further said the Global Fund, European Union, United Kingdom, South Africa, China, India, Turkey, United States of America and Zimbabwe have also pledged support.

Dr Modise said the ministry planned to implement permanent structural reforms to prevent future crises, saying those included pooled procurement strategies, innovative financing models and the development of local pharmaceutical manufacturing.

“Our long-term goal is to ensure Botswana is never this vulnerable again, we will not rest until the situation is fully resolved,” he affirmed.

Dr Modise thanked Batswana for their patience and partners for their continued solidarity.

Meanwhile, the minister explained that the declaration of a state of emergency on medical supplies allowed government to save hundreds of millions of Pula by purchasing directly from international manufacturers.

He said that without the emergency powers, the ministry would have been “forced” to procure locally through middlemen, a process that would have cost nearly P250 million.

“Imagine getting a procurement locally at close to P250 million, which is what you have in the pocket and not being able to go straight to the manufacturer to get that at about P30 million,” he said.

He further explained that many local suppliers sourced their products from the same international manufacturers that the ministry had now been able to approach directly, adding that the state of emergency, was designed to ensure that government “gets the best bang out of the buck” by cutting out intermediaries.

He highlighted that the savings realised through the direct procurement approach had enabled government to expand its purchasing power, adding that it would ensure that no gaps would arise in the nation’s medicine supply chain.

On the Health Task Force, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Professor Oathokwa Nkomazana said the ministry had effectively managed the distribution of medicines to hospitals and clinics nationwide following the allocation of P250 million Pula for medical supplies.

“We have been allocated P250 million to source medicines and we have managed the process of delivery to hospitals and clinics across the country,” Prof Nkomazana said, adding that the ministry had spent nearly all of the funds, with less than P60 million remaining.

She highlighted that shipments of medicines already purchased from Canada, Germany and other international suppliers were currently enroute, adding that their arrival would significantly boost the country’s stock levels and ease the shortage of essential drugs in various health facilities.

Prof. Nkomazana acknowledged that the procurement process for medical supplies remained “complex and highly regulated,” emphasising that the procedures were in place to safeguard the integrity and quality of the products entering the country.

However, she assured the public that the ministry continued to monitor medicine supply levels closely and remained in communication with suppliers and partners to maintain a steady flow of essential drugs throughout the country

Sharing the same sentiments, also in the Task Force, Professor Mogomotsi Matshaba stressed that the focus was not merely on the quantity of medicines procured but on maintaining strict quality standards throughout the process.

“We are not looking at quantity but at quality when purchasing medicines,” said Prof. Matshaba, emphasising that the health and safety of Batswana remained top priority.

He explained that the Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BoMRA) continued to play a crucial role in verifying the quality of all imported medical supplies.

“BoMRA has been involved to ensure that every batch of medicines that arrives in the country is of good quality,” he noted.

Prof Matshaba said the Task Force and the ministry were determined to protect the lives of Batswana, ensuring that no shortcuts were taken during the procurement and approval processes.

“We did not cut any corners, the quality of the medicines was thoroughly ensured before they were approved for use,” he affirmed.

The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) has been instrumental in expediting the delivery of essential medicines across the country, ensuring that no medical supplies remained idle at CMS, said Brigadier Thomas Masunga.

 He revealed that to expedite procurement and delivery, the BDF was assigned to work with CMS and Botswana Post in distributing supplies across the country.

He explained that the teams worked tirelessly to ensure that all medicines were dispatched to health facilities without delay.

“We made sure that no medicines were stocked at CMS. As soon as they arrived, they were immediately sent out to the respective health facilities,” he added. Brig Masunga commended the collaborative effort of the various agencies, noting that the partnership had greatly improved the efficiency of the medicine supply chain.BOPA