As if that is not enough, the government is said to be mobilising doctors from security forces and the private sector to fill in for the striking doctors, a move that has irked BDU. On April 6, BDU decided to embark on minimum service provision for emergency calls across the country. The union announced that they had, on April 3, 2025, given the government 72 hours to engage and finalise an emergency call to ensure non-disruption of health service provision across the public healthcare fraternity. But the employer party did not heed the call, engage or even respond, thus giving the impression of a non-caring partner. BDU would, as of April 7, 2025, in what they termed protecting its members against exploitation by the government of Botswana by doing one emergency call per month that will equate to 24 hours. Doctors were also to ensure minimum staff availability per hospital per call, and where there is no coverage, the employer party would use the public-private partnership at their discretion.
The government has since whisked BDU before the Industrial Court, accusing them of inciting a strike. The ongoing impasse resulted in a good number of doctors across the country not showing up at work. This is at least according to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Professor Oathokwa Nkomazana. She desposed a founding affidavit in an ongoing case in which the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) took on the BDU over what they term a strike by doctors. The DPSM, acting on urgency, sought an order directing BDU to cease and desist from causing, procuring, counselling, or influencing its members, who are employed in the public service under essential services, from breaching their contracts of employment and/or committing an offence in terms of the Trade Disputes' Act, Cap. 48:02.
