Monday 25/Aug/2025 – 06:18 PM
The President of Botswana Duma Kaidiyyoun Boko announced a public health emergency, after the collapse of the country’s medical supply system, which caused a severe shortage of medicines and vital supplies inside hospitals and clinics, according to Reuters.
An African country declares a state of general health emergency after the depletion of medicines from clinics
The President of Botswana Boko said that the supply chain managed by the central medical warehouses was completely disrupted, which led to an unprecedented crisis in the health sector.
He added that the army will supervise an emergency distribution campaign that begins immediately, as it is scheduled to leave the trucks loaded with supplies, the capital Gaburon, to reach remote areas by Monday evening.
These developments come after previous warnings issued by the Ministry of Health in the beginning of August regarding the near depletion of medicines as a result of financial challenges, which prompted them to postpone all unclear surgeries.
In a statement, the ministry confirmed that its debts towards private health facilities and suppliers exceeded one billion Paula (about 70 million dollars), which doubled the intensity of the crisis.
The President explained that the Ministry of Finance allocated 250 million Paula, equivalent to $ 17.35 million, and the emergency plan was financed, noting at the same time that the exaggerated prices to buy medical supplies, along with the current distribution systems, contributed to the exacerbation of the crisis through waste and losses.
It is worth noting that the health crisis comes at a time when Botswana suffers from a long -term slowdown in the global diamond market, which negatively affected the state’s budget, especially since the country is the largest producer of diamonds in the world in terms of value, and the complexity of the situation has increased the reduction of external financing, including American support for the health sector.
