Responding to the Budget Speech this week, Mmolotsi said the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) found the government in huge debt and owing a lot of companies. “The Ministry of Health owes private hospitals over P1.5 billion. It is now our responsibility to make sure that these hospitals do not close shop and that Batswana continue being referred to the private hospitals,” Mmolotsi told Parliament. He said the huge debt runs the risk of closing down some of the hospitals and therefore, the government has to source the money from somewhere and pay the debt. “When we took over government, we found a lot of problems, the main one being that the coffers were empty. The government was broke, there was no cash flow, and it was embarrassing. There has never been a time when the government has been penniless like this in the history of this country. Batswana and the BCP should know that we are struggling because the old regime overspent money and left empty coffers,” he said. He indicated that had they not got SACU receipts in December, they wouldn’t have paid public servants.
Last month, the Minister of Health Dr Stephen Modise acknowledged the crucial role that private health facilities play in saving the lives of Batswana. During a meet-and-greet session with representatives from various private health facilities, Modise emphasised that the new government is committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage for all residents of Botswana. He noted that this goal can only be realised if both the private and public health sectors collaborate effectively to provide quality and accessible health services to the population. The minister assured the representatives from the health facilities that the ministry is open to their suggestions on improving collaboration for the benefit of all Batswana. Representatives from major private hospitals, including Gaborone Private Hospital, Sidilega Private Hospital, Bokamoso Private Hospital, Francistown Academic Hospital, and Riverside Hospital, expressed their concerns to the minister. While they appreciate the ministry's referrals of patients to their facilities, they are dissatisfied with the delays in payments, which are pushing some of them to the brink of bankruptcy. Some representatives reported that they are on the verge of closing down due to difficulties in paying their staff and suppliers or purchasing essential medical supplies, stemming from the significant debts owed to them by the ministry.
