BOPEU have questioned the rationale of high allocation of this year’s budget for coving 19 saying the vast improvement on the ground seems to contradict the allocation of over 10 billion to fighting Covid-19, adding that such move remains overbearing and contradictory to the significantly declining Covid-19 Case Report and the commendable vaccination roll out by the Ministry.
In their budget review BOPEU says, this continued response to the pandemic in the form of more personal protective clothing, oxygen equipment, vaccines, booster vaccines as well as logistics and ancillary supplies fails to qualify for such an extensive share of the budget given the circumstances.
Nevertheless, BOPEU extended appreciation to the Ministry for an impressive record of first-dose and fully vaccinated population which is amongst one of the highest rates in the Sub-Saharan region, reaching the WHO year-end target. It is commendable that the Ministry has since commenced administering the booster shots to eligible population, however, the uptake of these booster shots should be fast tracked considering that the winter season is approaching which could trigger a spike in new Covid-19 cases. Additionally, the decision to establish the Botswana National Public Health Institute (BNPHI) will undeniably provide a critical foundation to the public health delivery system nationwide while linking the country to the global health.
