Gov’t mulls firing, suspending doctors

Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday May 2, 2025 15:03

As if that is not enough, the government is said to be mobilising doctors from security forces and the private sector to fill in for the striking doctors, a move that has irked BDU. On April 6, BDU decided to embark on minimum service provision for emergency calls across the country. The union announced that they had, on April 3, 2025, given the government 72 hours to engage and finalise an emergency call to ensure non-disruption of health service provision across the public healthcare fraternity. But the employer party did not heed the call, engage or even respond, thus giving the impression of a non-caring partner. BDU would, as of April 7, 2025, in what they termed protecting its members against exploitation by the government of Botswana by doing one emergency call per month that will equate to 24 hours. Doctors were also to ensure minimum staff availability per hospital per call, and where there is no coverage, the employer party would use the public-private partnership at their discretion.

The government has since whisked BDU before the Industrial Court, accusing them of inciting a strike. The ongoing impasse resulted in a good number of doctors across the country not showing up at work. This is at least according to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Professor Oathokwa Nkomazana. She desposed a founding affidavit in an ongoing case in which the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) took on the BDU over what they term a strike by doctors. The DPSM, acting on urgency, sought an order directing BDU to cease and desist from causing, procuring, counselling, or influencing its members, who are employed in the public service under essential services, from breaching their contracts of employment and/or committing an offence in terms of the Trade Disputes' Act, Cap. 48:02.

They also wanted the court to direct and order BDU to intervene and/or take reasonable steps to ensure that their members who are employed in the public service under essential services and/or who render essential services do not otherwise conduct themselves in an unlawful manner. Justice Isaac Bahuma issued an interim interdict on April 18, 2025, effective immediately. BDU is to show cause as to why the order is not to be made permanent in the ongoing case. According to a source close to the development, the government is actively recruiting doctors from the Botswana Defence Force (BDF), Botswana Police, Botswana Prisons and the private sector to take emergency call duties. “The intention is to deter doctors from taking only one 24-hour call in a month. They hope that by doing this, more doctors will now toe the line, fearing loss of jobs. They believe doctors from disciplined forces will also carry out the duties without any complaints,” the source said.

Contacted for a comment, BDU President Dr Kefilwe Selema said they are aware of the reports but expressed shock. “We have heard the news and are surprised that the government still does not want to deal with us in good faith. By threatening us for demanding our rights instead of coming to the table is ridiculous,” he said. Selema further warned other doctors not to betray them in their time of need when they had benefited from their struggle. “After our initial fight for the emergency call, doctors in the BDF, Police, Prisons and even the private sector benefited greatly as they got a significant salary increase. We expect them to turn down the offers in solidarity with us. It would be unfortunate if they were to show us that we are on our own,” he said. The Ministry of Health Chief Public Relations Officer Dr Christopher Nyanga would not be dragged into discussing the matter. “Pardon me because I am unable to respond to the specific questions that you ask, because the matter at hand is being handled alongside the employer (DPSM). Further, the issue is also before the courts as we speak. I am therefore unable to comment further lest I jeopardise both the court case and the employer-employee engagements currently on-going,” he said.

In his recent press address, Minister Dr Stephen Modise shared that at Princess Marina Hospital, most doctors are working as before, except at Paediatric and Orthopaedic wards, where some doctors have not been taking emergency calls since last Friday. “Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital is doing well because all the doctors there are attending calls. At Nyangabgwe Hospital, we also have some doctors who have not been taking calls, especially at the Medicine, Surgery and Paediatric wards,” he said.. As for District Hospitals, Modise said most of their doctors have been working as before, attending to calls when rostered. “We have only experienced some challenges at facilities like Sekgoma Memorial Hospital, where we have five of the 19 doctors not taking calls. Also at Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital, where we have three out of the total 16 not taking calls. All our other District Hospitals are doing well with almost every doctor performing emergency call duties as before,” he said. The minister further said the situation at Primary Hospitals is also not bad. Of the 17 Primary Hospitals across the country, Modise said seven hospitals have not had a single doctor refusing to perform emergency call duties when rostered. “In the other 10 Primary Hospitals, we have had some doctors missing their emergency calls despite having been rostered,” he said. So far, he said, the most affected primary hospitals are Kasane and Palapye Primary Hospitals. He disclosed that in Kasane, six out of the possible nine have communicated with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) that they will not be doing any extra calls, leaving only three medical officers to cover the calls between them. In Palapye, he said, the five medical officers have also communicated to the CMO that they will not be doing extra calls.