No justification for 10 billion for Covid Amidst improving situation
Tuesday, February 15, 2022 | 550 Views |
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No justification for 10 billion for Covid Amidst improving situation
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.
The BDP as a party known to have ample resources has always held its primaries well in time, but this time around that was not the case. The first leg of the primaries was held last weekend, with the final leg being billed for the coming weekend. This time around, the BDP failed to shine in its primary elections. The elections were chaotic; most if not all polling stations didn't open at the specified time of 6am. Loyal BDP members braved the...