22nd November 2021
Own Correspondent
A multi-sectoral and inter-sectoral approach has served Botswana well as a country in dealing with complex health issues.
This has led a myriad of stakeholders to consult widely to further enhance greater self-determination, ownership and accountability in Primary Health in Botswana in the face of a global pandemics, over investment in referrals for super-specialised curative services, which have left a significant gap in the continuum of Primary Health Care services.
“It is in our interest, as a Ministry, and a country to invest in the basic health needs by adopting the primary health care approach towards reaching Universal Health Coverage,” said Dr Edwin Gorataone Dikoloti, Minister of Health and Wellness.
He said, “By this I mean that we are more committed to delivering health care that addresses an individual and community needs through their life cycle, while ensuring that the unmet health needs of critical groups of people such as those in hard to reach areas, are addressed in the most equitable, efficient and effective manner, and at the same time protecting house hold financial hardship.”
According to officials the journey to the revitalisation of primary health care has taken too long, with the call to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for the government to revisit its approach in delivering health care to our communities.
That is why officials hope Nursees will come out of the ongoing Pitso with a sector-wide Framework for Primary Health Care and well-populated Vital Signs Primary Health Care services.
Although the concept of primary health care has been with Batswana for a very long time it has been forced by the changing epidemiological landscape, population demographics and rapid global development, which resulted in urbanisation and people migration to innovate.
Botswana has had to deal with the advent of HIV/AIDS being, which at the time necessitated for a vertical approach in order to save human lives. It is evident now that with the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, our system remains fragile, something Botswana needs to pay serious attention to.
Hence rationale for various interventions like the Harmonization Strategy of 2017, eHealth Strategy of 2019, Integrated Community Based Strategy of 2020 which are all aligned to Botswana’s Health Policy and essential Health Package.
The Health Sector is a complex system with immense potential for economic productivity which can only be unlocked when communities have attained their highest attainable health.
Dikoloti said “It can meaningfully participate in growth and economic development of a diverse of individual household owners and country. It is therefore critical that when we talk health, we need to acknowledge it as an agenda to development as already articulated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal number three.
Botswana needs to redesign its health systems so resources are redirected where to benefit rural communities the most. Officials view health as a continuum system with its elements being promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitation.
To simply view one as highly worthy of investment is to deny rurral communities the joy of realising their highest attainable health as a basic human right, while on the economic front, it will be like accepting the high cost associated with a disjointed and an uncoordinated health care system.
To buttress our commitment as a ministry, we have undertaken a strategic decision to decentralise the health care system building capacity at the district level. The districts have to take the lead in addressing the unmet needs of their communities, while Ministry will have to play a supportive role and giving strategic guidance.
The synergy with the private sector which is always innovative and resourceful is pivotal in this endeavour. Together with the civil society, we will have to play fairly and play by the rules so that we all benefit from existing health care resources for the benefit of those who are most at risk.
“As a ministry we value the role played by health care workers in contributing to the achievement of universal health care coverage and attaining the said sustainable development goals,” said Dikoloti.
He said, “Declaration in which African governments in Ouagadougou observed that inter- sectoral collaboration and health systems strengthening were crucial for the attainment of desired health outcomes for all. We therefore recognise and commit,
Primary Health Care Revitalization will deliver on this obligation through sustainable decent work as out-lined in the Decent Work Country Programme for Botswana (2020-2024)
