24 Sep 2026

Botswana Veterinary Surgeons Council (BVSC) has launched a website to strengthen professional accountability and help farmers identify legitimate veterinary practitioners.

“The digital platform will make it easier for farmers and animal owners to verify whether a veterinary practitioner is registered with the council, helping to reduce incidents involving imposters posing as veterinarians, Assistant Minister of Lands and Agriculture Mr Motsamai Motsamai said at the launch on Monday. 

He said the council had in recent years been concerned about individuals who claimed to offer veterinary services posing as qualified veterinarians while defrauding farmers.

He said such incidents harmed farmers and undermined public confidence in the veterinary profession.

The Assistant Minister said the website would also allow veterinary professionals to submit registration applications online, thereby simplifying the process and reducing administrative delays.

He said the digital platform would make the Council’s services more accessible to both local and international applicants, noting that it would further improve public awareness of the BVSC and its mandate particularly its role in safeguarding animal health, food safety and public health.

He said the council had previously faced challenges of limited digital visibility and accessibility with the absence of a fully functional website making it difficult for professionals and stakeholders to access information and services.

Mr Motsamai said the development of the website was therefore timely given the growing reliance on digital platforms to access information and services.

“The establishment of a strong regulatory framework for the veterinary profession had taken several years, with government initiating a review of the veterinary regulatory framework in 1998.The process culminated in the passing of the Veterinary Surgeons Act in 2008, which formally established the BVSC as the statutory body responsible for regulating veterinary practice in Botswana,” he added.

Mr Motsamai said the council was officially appointed and launched in 2012 and had since worked to establish systems aimed at ensuring that veterinary professionals were properly regulated.

He said such regulations were important in protecting animal health, public health as well as the interests of livestock owners and farmers.

He described the website launch as more than the introduction of a digital platform as it represented progress towards modern, transparent and accessible regulation.

He said it also reflected the council’s commitment to improving service delivery, strengthening professional accountability and protecting the public.

He commended the BVSC for the initiative and its continued efforts to strengthen regulation of the veterinary profession in Botswana. ENDS