Gaborone — Government has launched an urgent reset of Botswana's public health system, moving to take over Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH), decongest Princess Marina Hospital and clear long-standing surgical backlogs, as pressure mounts across major referral facilities.
Addressing the nation on Thursday, Minister of Health Dr Stephen Modise said the reforms signal a shift from crisis containment to structural recovery, guided by President Duma Gideon Boko and aligned with National Development Plan 12 and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme.
At the centre of the intervention is the rapid conversion of SKMTH from a private facility into a fully public hospital by April 1, 2026. The phased takeover begins immediately and is intended to relieve congestion at Princess Marina Hospital, where limited bed space, theatre capacity and diagnostic constraints have delayed surgeries and increased patient safety risks.
From early February, Government will relocate key services to SKMTH, including accident and emergency care, radiology, dialysis, audiology and selected surgical services. Pharmacy and laboratory support services will operate from both hospitals from February 2 to ease bottlenecks. More than 20 specialist outpatient clinics -- including cardiology, nephrology, neurology, infectious diseases and paediatric subspecialties -- will also be transferred in the first phase.
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Government is prioritising the clearance of surgical backlogs, starting with orthopaedics. At Princess Marina Hospital, 70 orthopaedic patients are awaiting surgery, including 54 fracture cases. The ministry expects to clear the backlog between February 2 and February 20 by using theatres and specialist staff at both PMH and SKMTH.
Orthopaedic bed capacity will increase from 66 to 106, enabling up to 10 operations per day, double current output. Similar measures will be applied to other pressured specialties, including gynaecology, where about 800 patients are awaiting surgery.
To stabilise diagnostics, Government will temporarily outsource laboratory tests that public hospitals cannot perform due to obsolete or malfunctioning equipment, while long-term solutions under NDP12 and BETP are pursued. Three mobile X-ray machines have been deployed to Bobonong, Pandamatenga and Gumare.
On medicines, Dr Modise said Botswana has secured more than 338 essential drugs from the United Arab Emirates, with deliveries beginning February 6 and expected to last up to 7.5 months. Additional supplies are arriving from Zambia, while HIV, TB and cancer medicines are secured for at least 12 months.
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Acknowledging public concern, Dr Modise said Government's response is now time-bound and action-driven.
"We are on top of these issues," he said. On medicines, Government said it has secured 338 essential medicines from the United Arab Emirates, with deliveries starting on February 6, 2026, alongside additional supplies from Zambia. Officials also confirmed that 12 months' worth of antiretroviral drugs have been secured.
Government said medicine stocks are now expected to remain stable well into 2026.
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