The Doctors Inn Private Hospital fills service gap in Maun
Otlarongwa Kgweetsi | Tuesday June 17, 2025 14:56
The Doctors Inn Private Hospital, which has become the first licensed private day hospital in Maun, offers a consolidated range of services to the larger public in the vast district. The offerings amongst others include general medicine, surgery, radiology, physiotherapy, laboratory work, occupational health, midwifery and pharmacy operations. The hospital serves both individuals and corporate clients in sectors such as mining and tourism, providing services like occupational health assessments and routine medical clearances and it is recognised by Botswana’s major medical aid providers that include BPOMAS, Bomaid, Botsogo, and Pula. The facility, which operates as a 30-bed primary-level institution licensed by the Ministry of Health, is located at the Old Mall in Maun. Established in 2014 by Dr Nhlatho and his wife, physiotherapist Tebogo Nhlatho, the hospital evolved from their earlier operation, Ngami Physiotherapy Clinic, which was the first private physiotherapy practice in the district. According to Dr Nhlatho, the motivation to expand into a multi-service health facility came from observing recurring access issues in the local healthcare system.
“Patients were being referred outside the district for services that could reasonably be provided locally,” he says. “We saw an opportunity to address that by integrating different services under one roof.” All this was made possible through funding from Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) which has of late received proposals from those in the health care space. According to the hospital owners, in 2017 the business received a P3 million loan for property and equipment and a second one amounting to P7 million in 2021, whose proceeds went towards the conversion of the facility into a licensed hospital. Additionally in 2023, CEDA approved an additional P6 million loan for fit-out and working capital which took the total funding package to approximately P13 million. Maun’s population, which exceeded 85,000 according to the 2022 Population and Housing Census, continues to grow. The region also experiences seasonal surges due to its role as a tourism hub. The hospital is located in Maun which is a population explosion as Batswana look for opportunities outside traditional attraction like Gaborone, Francistown and Selebi-Phikwe. The 2022 Population and Housing Census put the village’s population at over 85,000 and it continues to grow. As a result, management at The Doctors Inn Private Hospital notes that the population growth has contributed to increased demand for accessible health services in the district.
“We designed the facility to handle outpatient and short-stay cases efficiently,” said Dr Nhlatho. “The aim is to manage primary-level care in a timely manner, so that referral hospitals can focus on more complex cases.” Like other businesses, the hospital faces operational challenges like power supply disruptions which are frequent in Maun. These power cuts, directors say, affect theatre operations and imaging services. The hospital currently relies on diesel generators during outages while plans are underway to source solar and battery systems to improve reliability. Meanwhile, management said they were assessing the feasibility of adding dialysis and oncology outreach services, depending on the availability of specialists and adequate infrastructure. However, no timeline has been confirmed for these developments. “We are continually evaluating what services are necessary and feasible within the district. “But any expansion has to be realistic and aligned with available capacity,” Dr Nhlatho added.
The Doctors Inn is part of a trend in Botswana’s private health sector, where citizen-owned medical businesses are playing a growing role in service provision at the district level. While public hospitals remain the primary referral centres, licensed day hospitals are increasingly used to manage less complex cases, particularly in growing urban areas. However, Dr Nhlatho said their intention is not to duplicate existing public health services, but to contribute where gaps are evident. “There is a role for private providers in helping reduce system strain. Our focus is on what can be done effectively at the local level.” The owners revealed that facility employs 102 staff members, with more than 95% of them being citizens.