Health emergency declared over medicine shortages

Botswana President Duma Boko has declared a public health emergency and set up a 5bn pula ($372 345 179) response plan as a prolonged downturn in diamond sales has caused funds for medical supplies to dry up, reports News24. The military is overseeing an emergency distribution drive after the national medical supply chain failed, Boko said in a televised address on Monday. Botswana Development Corporation, the state-owned investment company, will inject an initial 100m pula ($7 446 903), as the President called for further assistance from pension and insurance funds as well as other financiers. The Health Ministry this month warned that it urgently needed supplies as it postponed all non-urgent surgery. Botswana is the world’s largest producer of diamonds by value, with the stones contributing about a third of budget revenues and the bulk of foreign currency receipts. ‘It is important to note that this procurement shall be led and overseen by the Botswana Defence Force as it’s highly price sensitive given our limited coffers,’ he said. This is ‘in line with fair and ethical pricing’. A healthcare task force examining procurement pointed to unjustified medical price increases and too many middlemen, Boko said. An estimate from the government’s health procurement agency for an annual supply of drugs came in at more than 705m pula ($52 500 670). Without the unnecessary price escalations, the task force found these could be bought for less than 80m pula ($5 958 145), he said.

Full News24 report