10 Jun 2026

Minister of Health has assured the nation that government is making significant progress in addressing medicine shortages across the country, with large consignments of essential medicines already arriving and more expected in the coming weeks.

Addressing the nation on Tuesday in Gaborone, Minister of Health, Dr Stephen Modise, acknowledged that the shortage remained a major challenge, a situation he described as ‘unfortunate and totally undesirable’.

“The declaration of the State of Public Health Emergency last year was a recognition of the challenges we inherited. However, we could not allow the situation to continue indefinitely and we have taken decisive steps to stabilise medicine supplies,” said Dr Modise.

To address the crisis, Dr Modise said the ministry had implemented a series of emergency procurement measures, including securing six to 12 months’ worth of supplies through international procurement agencies such as the IDA Foundation.

The procurement covers critical products including antiretroviral medicines, cancer treatments and surgical sutures.

He further noted that government had procured seven months’ worth of medicines through a special arrangement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and expanded sourcing to other regions, to reduce risks associated with global supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions.

The minister said medicines continued to arrive, despite delays affecting some UAE consignments.

Of the 338 product lines ordered through the UAE arrangement, Dr Modise said 37 had already been received, while another 105 product lines began arriving last week.

 Additional shipments are expected over the next two to three weeks.

“All products received are immediately tested and distributed to health facilities for use,” said Dr Modise.

He pointed out that medicines already delivered included antibiotics, intravenous infusion fluids, allergy medications, insulin and eye-care products. 

Despite the progress, Dr Modise admitted that shortages continued to affect certain categories of medicines since those used to treat hypertension, diabetes and asthma remained in limited supply, with stock levels currently standing at 20, 22 and 17 per cent respectively. 

The arrival of expected consignments is projected to increase availability to 75, 60 and 58 per cent respectively.

Dr Modise said overall stock levels for key medicines remained relatively stable, with antiretroviral medicines at 93 per cent availability, cancer medicines at 87 per cent and tuberculosis medicines at 76 per cent.

He said the ministry was pursuing long-term reforms aimed at strengthening procurement systems and preventing future shortages.

Plans include establishing more efficient and resilient supply chains, implementing long-term supplier agreements, improving forecasting and inventory management and enhancing real-time stock visibility through digitalisation.

Furthermore, the ministry is engaging international development partners to improve procurement practices, ensure value for money in medicine purchases and reduce reliance on costly private-sector sourcing.

In a broader effort to strengthen national medicine security, Dr Modise said the ministry was promoting local pharmaceutical manufacturing as a strategic priority. 

He said developing Botswana’s pharmaceutical industry would not only improve medicine availability but also contribute to economic growth and regional supply stability.

“We recognise that establishing local production capacity will take time, but these are critical investments that will secure affordable and reliable access to medicines for future generations,” he said.

He also expressed gratitude to healthcare workers who continued to deliver services under difficult conditions and called on citizens to use available healthcare resources responsibly. ENDS