15 Dec 2025

Hukuntsi residents have welcomed  government’s proposal to establish the National Health Insurance (NHI), describing it as a long-term and sustainable solution to persistent challenges facing the country’s health sector.
Community members said the initiative would significantly improve access to timely and quality healthcare services for all citizens.
They shared their views during a stakeholder consultative kgotla meeting convened by the Ministry of Health, where officials engaged residents to solicit input on the structure of the envisaged insurance scheme.
They expressed optimism that the NHI would expand access to private health facilities, particularly private clinics, which could help ease congestion in public hospitals and address recurring shortages of essential medicines.
The residents proposed that the scheme should allow patients to collect prescribed medication from private providers during stockouts at government facilities.
On funding, residents recommended that government be the primary contributor to the NHI provident fund, with allocations made directly to the fund rather than channelled through the ministry to enhance efficiency and accountability.
Kgosing Ward resident, Mr Oarabile Ratlou suggested that additional revenue be raised through levies on tobacco and alcohol, given their contribution to lifestyle-related illnesses. He also proposed levies on festivals, noting that emergency cases often arose from accidents and assaults associated with such events. Mr Ratlou further recommended levies on certain high-risk foods to boost the fund.
He emphasised the importance of integrating the informal sector, NGOs, pensioners and the unemployed into the scheme, calling for equitable contribution models that accommodated varying financial capacities.
Mr Ratlou also urged the ministry to introduce robust security systems to prevent fraudulent claims and to adopt modern technologies, including the use of drones for medicine delivery to remote areas.
Hukuntsi South Councillor, Mr Kerapetse Jane raised concerns about the absence of a referral hospital in the area, saying long travel distances to Princess Marina Hospital for specialised care often compounded by transport costs.
He called for policy provisions to support referred patients who lacked the means to travel and for improved access to specialist consultations, citing prolonged waiting times.
Another resident, Mr Mooketsi Radira, said a well-designed and effectively implemented NHI could benefit all Batswana, including those in remote settlements. Addressing the meeting, Ministry of Health’s Public Health Physician, Ms Leungo Reigner said the ministry had intensified stakeholder consultations as part of efforts to develop Botswana’s NHI scheme. She underscored the importance of district and community participation in shaping the country’s future health financing system.
Ms Reigner explained that the consultations were critical for gathering ideas and insights from citizens, which would inform an NHI model reflecting the needs, expectations and lived experiences of Batswana. She added that the NHI represented a major step toward strengthening health financing and advancing Universal Health Coverage.
“The NHI seeks to ensure universal health coverage and equitable access to affordable, high-quality healthcare for all, built on principles of equity, solidarity and sustainability,” she said.
She encouraged residents to continue participating in the consultations, stressing that their contributions would be central to shaping a resilient and inclusive health system for Botswana. ENDS