20 August 2026

GABORONE – Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Dumelang Saleshando, has accused government of failing to resolve Botswana’s prolonged public health emergency, despite billions of pula allocated and repeated assurances of improvement.

Speaking in Parliament under Standing Order 9.3.2, Saleshando described the situation as “a systemic failure of governance that has compromised the health, dignity, and lives of our people.”

He noted that medicine availability had dropped to as low as 17 per cent at the height of the crisis, with only marginal improvements reported this year — 44 per cent for diabetes medicines and 38 per cent for heart medicines.

Saleshando criticised government for blaming health workers, insisting that shortages stem from mismanagement, procurement failures, and poor accountability. “Improvement from a crisis level is not the same as resolution of the crisis,” he said, adding that MPs themselves often buy medicines or fuel vehicles to assist constituents.

Beyond shortages, he highlighted overcrowded hospitals, unemployed qualified doctors, and rural patients forced to travel hundreds of kilometres for treatment. “Imagine the paradox of having a shortage of doctors, yet qualified doctors are sitting at home unemployed,” he told the House.

The opposition leader demanded urgent reforms, including full accountability for the P5 billion Health First Botswana Partnership Fund, removal of middlemen from procurement, a transparent medicines monitoring system, and a comprehensive human-resources plan.

He warned that without governance discipline, “money without proper systems, accountability and administrative discipline will not produce the healthcare system that Batswana deserve.”

Saleshando concluded with a call for government to move from “announcements to delivery,” stressing that healthcare cannot be treated as an ordinary policy issue.

“Botswana once had a health system that was a model for Africa. Today, patients buy their own bandages, syringes, and life-saving drugs. This is not the Botswana our people deserve,” he said.

© TPA2026