Botswana News

This week, Botswana joins the rest of the world in launching the 8th UN Global Road Safety Week under the theme “Streets for Life: #MakingWalkingAndCyclingSafe.”

Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) joined the global health community in commemorating World Hand Hygiene Day, underscoring the importance of hand hygiene in saving lives and preventing infections in healthcare settings. The event, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), brought together health professionals, administrators, and the public under the banner of this year’s theme: “It might be gloves. It’s always hand hygiene.”

Botswana commemorated African Vaccination Week (AVW) from 24th to 30th April 2025 under the regional theme, “Immunization for All is Humanly Possible.” The weeklong campaign aimed to promote equitable access to immunization and integrate other high-impact child health interventions. In Tsabong District, the AVW activities served not only as an opportunity to provide health services but also to reach some of the district’s most remote and underserved populations.

The Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Committee held a pivotal meeting from 19 to 22 May 2025 at Cresta Botsalo Hotel in Palapye. The session brought together 16 committee members alongside representatives from the Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BOMRA), the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The gathering focused on refresher training, onboarding new members, and conducting causality assessments of AEFI cases reported in 2024/2025.

In response to a recent upsurge in malaria cases, the Ministry of Health in Botswana, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) initiative, has launched an emergency response to contain the outbreak and protect vulnerable communities.

President Duma Boko has acknowledged the urgent need to overhaul Botswana’s health systems, citing inefficiencies and delayed responsiveness that continue to cost lives. He was speaking during a high-level engagement with Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, former WHO Regional Director for Africa, who was accompanied by the WHO Representative to Botswana, Dr. Fabian Ndenzako and other officers from the WHO country office.

Although World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is commemorated globally on 24 March, WHO Botswana extended the conversation into May with a staff awareness session aimed at reinforcing key messages around TB prevention and control. During the session, Boingotlo Ramontshonyana delivered a compelling address, urging colleagues to remain vigilant and proactive in addressing one of the country’s enduring public health challenges.

Recently, the WHO Botswana team led by the WHO Representative, Dr Fabian Ndenzako, paid a visit to the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) Laboratory in Gaborone. The purpose of the visit was to better understand the current operations, strengths, and challenges faced by NBTS, and to explore areas where WHO can offer technical support to strengthen the country’s blood transfusion system. 

As countries around the world observed World Health Day on April 7, 2025, Botswana used the moment to reflect on its maternal health journey and renew its commitment to ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths. The national commemoration, jointly hosted by WHO Botswana and the Ministry of Health, brought together government officials, health experts, development partners, and citizens under the theme “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures.