Publications

The third quarter of 2025 (July–September) truly tested our resilience but also showcased the unwavering support and commitment of Botswana’s health sector. Our collective response this quarter was immediately framed by the National Health Emergency declared to address the critical shortages of medicines and health commodities. This event galvanized all partners, requiring us to rally a regional and global support and implement immediate, coordinated strategies to ensure patient care continuity. Our unified action reinforced the principle that health service delivery demands a whole-of-society approach.

Amidst this challenge, our strategic development continued with significant strides. We boosted our national capacity to tackle emerging threats, highlighted by the integration of new Field Epidemiologists to boost Botswana’s capacity for disease detection and response, and the crucial Border Capacity Assessment to intensify health security. Furthermore, the momentous step for the One Health initiative signaled a new era of cross-sectoral collaboration to address zoonotic and environmental health risks.

This quarter also saw major investments in our health systems' performance and equity:

• Botswana hosted the 8th International African Palliative Care Conference and the 5th African Ministers of Health Session on Palliative Care. This landmark event underscored the essential role of comprehensive chronic and palliative care in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
• We strengthened the backbone of safe patient care with WHO delivering a key assessment report on Blood Transfusion Services and subsequent collaborative efforts to strengthen blood safety.
• The Family Medicine and Primary Health Care Conference 2025 provided a critical platform for discussing sustainable foundational care.
• We celebrated advancements in regulatory excellence as BoMRA took a major step towards WHO Maturity Level 3 through assisted self-benchmarking.
• Finally, we reaffirmed our commitment to equity, with WHO calling for Disability-Inclusive Health Systems, and drove key elimination goals, notably the accelerated efforts to Eliminate Malaria and NTDs, supported by frontline worker training on Mass Drug Administration.

The achievements of this quarter, from emergency response to hosting a continental Palliative Care forum and investing in digital innovation (HELINA 2025 and the Technology Summit and Expo), reflect a collective dedication to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and a commitment to Botswana's vision for a resilient, digitally empowered health future.