Shortage of medicine to subside by December—Modise
Sharon Mathala | Wednesday October 29, 2025 06:00
The minister, who revealed that the state of public emergency declared by President Duma Boko back in August has since lapsed, has admitted to missteps that plunged the health system into a crisis, with hospitals and clinics operating on just 17% availability of critical medicines and medical supplies.
“The situation had reached alarming levels, so we made the call to declare an emergency because our people were suffering. We cannot run a health system without medicines,” the minister conceded.
The situation forced public hospitals to ration even basic painkillers; the shortage, according to Modise, was compounded by unpaid supplier bills, delayed international shipments, and what he described as lapses within procurement systems.
However, Modise said there has been progress, with medicine availability improving from 17% in August to 36% by the beginning of October. “Our target is to reach 97% by December and maintain at least three months of stock at the Central Medical Stores,” he said.
The minister added that most primary clinics had now been restocked with medication for chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, but warned that hospitals remained under strain.
He further confirmed that shortages of Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs had forced some facilities to cut the quantities dispensed to patients, though he insisted the situation was now improving. “This was largely because we owed suppliers who could not continue supplying us. We have now received new shipments and expect full stabilisation before Christmas,” he stated.
Modise admitted that the rapid response to mitigate the crisis came at a high cost. “Emergency procurement is always more expensive than normal procurement, because of our fiscal position, many suppliers demanded upfront payment before shipping goods, which slowed deliveries,” he said.
For the ministry, communication failures within the health system are seen as another key contributing factor to the crisis.
“Sometimes the shortage at facilities is due to poor coordination between hospitals and Central Medical Stores. We are fixing that now because we cannot have medicines sitting in warehouses while patients go without,” the minister revealed.
Whilst the minister maintained that Botswana was not out of the woods yet, he insisted the country is in a rebound mode and that the worst of the crisis is over. “We appreciate the nation’s impatience and anxiety; we are stabilising, and we will not rest until this situation is resolved,” Modise stated.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition, Dumelang Saleshando, has since shared on social media that despite the minister’s pronouncements, he was getting opposite reports from his constituents who decry of lack of medicines in hospitals. Social media users have also commented to say medicine is still unavailable across the country.