Gov’t sets aside P77.8m for health insurance scheme
Spira Tlhankane | Wednesday March 11, 2026 11:00
The NHI was touted by President Duma Boko on the 2024 campaign trail, where he revealed that if voted to power, the UDC will make quality, affordable healthcare not a privilege, but a right.
Recently, in Parliament, Ookeditse said NHI is one strategic reform in the health financing space, which aims to advance Universal Health Coverage through innovative Financing and Strategic Purchasing.
“The NHI is designed to secure financial protection for all citizens through pooled risk-sharing, efficient purchasing, and equitable access to care. It will ensure that no Motswana faces financial hardship because of illness. This reform is supported by technical work in actuarial modelling, benefit design, and integration of digital systems to enhance efficiency and transparency,” he said.
Ookeditse added that his ministry is expanding innovative financing instruments, including cost recovery mechanisms and reference tariffs, to strengthen fiscal sustainability.
“We are also looking at ways for public health facilities to generate income through collaboration with the private sector to jointly fund and support health innovation. My ministry continues to strive to improve efficiency in our operations in order to drive its vision of a healthy nation,” the minister further stated. Ookeditse also indicated that the P77,807,100 is part of the second largest share of the proposed overall budget, which is allocated to the ministry headquarters at P1.4 billion.
Last December, Minister of Health Stephen Modise told Parliament that NHI is set for phased implementation after the tabling of the NHI Bill. “The Bill will be tabled in parliament in February 2026. This will then be followed by the Institutional Setup Phase, which will run through till June 2026. This phase entails establishing the National Health Insurance Fund and its governance structures, developing enabling regulations, setting up core operational systems, and preparing for the Proof of Concept. July 2026–June 2027: NHI Proof of Concept to test key design elements, including Primary Health Care-centred benefits, strategic purchasing, provider payment mechanisms, claims processes, and information systems, so that the scheme can be refined before national scale-up. July 2027–End of 2028: Phased Rollout, End of 2028: Full Rollout and Operationalisation,” Modise disclosed to Parliament then.
Modise was responding to a question from Molepolole North MP Arafat Khan, who had asked the Minister of Health to explain to legislators on the introduction of a comprehensive national health insurance scheme for every citizen, and to indicate the timelines, policy framework, and implementation strategy towards achieving universal health coverage in Botswana.
“Botswana has made significant gains in health outcomes. However, we continue to face challenges of fragmented financing, variable quality of care, rising costs, and inequities in access to essential services. The NHI scheme, which will serve as a health financing mechanism, will act as a reform tool to strengthen Primary Health Care, improve efficiency, enhance quality, and reinforce governance and accountability. Our goal is that all Batswana have access to needed health services without suffering financial hardship,” Modise said.
With regards to the Policy and legislative framework, he said the NHI reform is structured to deliver two key instruments, being the NHI Policy and Bill. He said the policy will define the vision and objectives of NHI, the benefit package, financing arrangements, governance and institutional setup, and strategic purchasing approach.
The NHI Bill, he said, will establish the National Health Insurance Fund and provide the legal framework for implementation, regulation, and oversight of the scheme. Modise said the NHI Policy will directly inform the drafting of the NHI Bill and related regulations.
He indicated that the implementation strategy is anchored on Primary Health Care as the foundation of NHI, pooling and strategic purchasing, diversified and sustainable financing, phased expansion of benefits, strong governance, transparency and accountability, and underpinned by clear legislation, robust regulation and active oversight by the Steering Committee, Technical Advisory Committee, and Policy Formulation Reference Committee.