Minister of Health, Stephen Modise, revealed during his Committee of Supply presentation recently that the Task Force’s recommendations will be shared with Cabinet before the exercise begins. “My ministry is determined to change the current setup and operations of SKMTH into a quaternary facility,” he said. Established to be a public hospital for the University of Botswana (UB) and to support the training of medical professionals, the facility has largely remained unused over the years. However, in 2022 government took a decision to operate it as a licensed private institution to offer healthcare services and give access primarily through referrals from both private and public health facilities and medical practitioners. At the time, government said clients will have to pay from their pockets, medical aid, or on certain instances paid for by the government amidst outcry from members of the public.
Briefing the media on the commissioning of SKMTH at the time, board chairperson, Basimane Bogopa said despite that, nobody will be shut out and that everyone will be assisted but not like at a normal hospital. This is despite SKMTH continuing to receive subventions from the government. After the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) won elections last year and took power, the Botswana Doctors Union (BDU) challenged the new administration to change the current status of SKMTH so that it fulfills its intended purpose. The union emphasised that the hospital, which was intended to be a public teaching hospital for the UB, shouldn't be utilised as a private facility. Instead, it must fulfill its original purpose to benefit the public and support the training of medical professionals, the union suggested. Completed in 2014 at a cost of over P2 billion, SKMTH has remained largely unused, only becoming active during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The move to make SKMTH a private hospital was a deliberate self-serving move from an elite few, thereby diverging from its initial intended purpose when using public funds for the project," claimed the union in a statement. Meanwhile, Modise also told Parliament that Botswana has faced ongoing challenges of limited availability of essential medicines.
