FRANCISTOWN: Botswana has a surplus of doctors but unfortunately, it is suffering from an acute shortage because many of its medics are serving other countries, the director of the Department of Tertiary Education Financing (DTEF) has said.
Marcos Maedza told Francistown concillors this week that more than 800 Botswana doctors are working abroad after refusing to return home following the completion of their studies.
"These students are being trained at expensive universities and it is painful to see them not coming back to serve their country. We are currently in short supply of doctors while we have trained more than enough who are now serving other countries," he lamented. He said that in Britain, around 130 medical and engineering students from Botswana have refused to come back home. In Ireland, about 110 Botswana doctors have stayed put while about 47 are residing in Australia after finishing their studies. Maedza said that every year, students are being sent to train overseas but what is shocking is that they do not want to return home. "There are hundreds of students who after finishing their studies decide to work there (abroad) and not return home to serve the country as was planned when they were in the first place sponsored for those scarce and important courses," he said.He said that billions of Pulas are being used to sponsor such students to study and serve the nation but after completion, they remain abroad. Maedza said that they select the best and most qualified students to train overseas at expensive schools but this is not benefiting the country. He said that when asked why they do not want to return home, the students say they have adopted international lifestyles, have married in the countries they are based where they now have families.
