Cry our beloved country

Mmegi Editor | Monday August 25, 2025 10:54

Evidence is galore that it is not only government pharmacies that are experiencing the disconcerting shortages, as even many of the private pharmacies are unable to dispense prescribed medications, leaving patients running all over the place in search of medications.

It’s worrying that even patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and others find themselves sent from pillar to post as pharmacies’ shelves are empty and cannot serve them.

The situation depicts Botswana as a country in mayhem, as some of the health conditions strongly depend on the support of the regular intake of the prescribed medications. The whole saga, therefore, raises fears that people whose conditions were stable might face challenges as some find themselves going a few days without medication.

We have also learnt that the government’s financial instability has left the State failing to meet some of its obligations, including paying the private hospital facilities for services rendered and the alleged delayed payments to government employees' medical aids. It’s not shocking that some hospitals are unable to restock some of the critical medications.

We call upon the Minister of Health, Dr. Stephen Modise, and his lieutenants to rise to the occasion and combat the country’s crisis before it spills out of control. Batswana, especially at the government facilities (hospitals and clinics), often find themselves joining long queues and only to learn from the pharmacists that the government facilities have no medications and drugs. The burden is often placed upon those who can’t afford the medical aid, as they can’t afford to buy their prescribed medications from private pharmacies.

We are living at times where non-communicable diseases are wreaking havoc, decimating lives. The positive thing, however, is that the management of diseases has not been a problem until recently, when the country’s diamond-reliant economy experienced challenges, as the precious stones have not been bought to boost the country’s economy.

It will be a tall order if the state of shortage of drugs and medications persists, as that could affect many people, including the performance of the working class in a fragile economy.

It is, however, not too late to correct the current state of affairs. We acknowledge all the efforts to turn the situation around. Yes, it takes proper planning and right priorities to diametrically turn around the whole situation.

Botswana has gone through eras where sexually transmitted disease was a problem, including Tuberculosis, because then our health system was inferior. In the late 1990s, HIV/AIDS decimated thousands of people, as there was no strong lifesaving therapy, the anti-retroviral drugs as it’s the case today.

We know the government is currently beset by challenges across the sectors, but prioritising the stable supply and availability of medications and drugs should remain top of their priority.

The President Duma Boko-led government has adopted a human rights leaning; therefore, we consider the health of the nation to be a human rights issue too.

We want to plead with the UDC government once again to rescue the nation from the current doldrums of a failing health system.

Today’s thought

“The greatest wealth is health.” –Virgil.