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.
