BCP promises public health reforms
Botswana Congress Party ( BCP) says it will build a robust and efficient standards- based health system that guarantees all access to rst rate comprehensive health care services as an urgent priority.
Member of Parliament for Se are- Ramokgonami, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang stated that guided by the principle and goal of Universal Health Coverage ( UHC), national standards aligned to WHO’s and feedback from regular Health System Performance Assessments ( HSPAs), they will prioritise reforms to the governance of health, expansion of health system capacity in both the public and private sectors, and most important, sea- change improvements in health system performance, in particular, universalising access to quality health care.
Dr Gobotswang, who was speaking at the BCP Town Hall Manifesto Chapter launch on Health on Wednesday evening said all Batswana should have timely access to a full range of quality health services, whenever and wherever they need them. “Botswana’s health care system is experiencing multiple interrelated and deep crises, including a crisis of performance, a crisis of capacity and at the root of everything, a crisis of governance. Each merits a succinct discussion. e main reason Botswana’s health system performs as badly as it does is governance failure, from leadership to planning, to management to facilities. As a result, Botswana has failed to develop an e cient, e ective, adaptive and sustainable health system that delivers quality health services to all,” he said. e legislator stated that competent health system governance is essential for meeting both the service and industry needs of health, ensuring e cient use of resources, and maximising impact on the security of the nation’s health.
“e governance reforms we prioritise are: Regulation; Leadership and Management; Health System Performance Monitoring; and accelerate investment in up- to- date health infrastructure and equipment among others.”
On revitilising Primary Health Care, Dr Gobotswang said Primary Health Care ( PHC) is a foundational element for UHC. He said the expansion of health infrastructure and proper resourcing of facilities, human resource capacities, upgrading equipment and technology, and improving leadership, management, monitoring and reporting. He stated that about 90 percent of health needs can be met at the primary care level, whose bedrock is Community Health Workers ( CHWs). “So, to uphold the quality and accessibility of health care, we will invest in CHWs - their pay, training, mentorship, and the resources they need to deliver,” he said. He further told attendants that investing in CHWs empowers individuals and communities to make good health decisions and makes communities safer, more resilient and self- su cient. “A BCP government will invest in the development and retention of quality health skills. Further, we will accord health professionals a working environment that allows them to thrive, foremost workplace justice - in terms of job grading, remuneration, hours of work, and adherence to standards. We will work with our universities and colleges to ensure that their curricula meets world standards,” he said.
According to Dr Gobotswang, key targets in their human resource development shall be raising the number of physicians per 10,000 population from three in 2020 to the Upper Middle income Countries ( UMIC) average, currently 22, by 2029, and raising the nurse to population ratio from 32.6 per 10,000 population in 2019 to the WHO recommended threshold of 45. He explained that according to WHO, health is, “a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being and not merely the absence of disease or in rmity.” Dr Gobotswang added that it is a basic human need, a fundamental human right, a public good, and an essential human capability. Without health, he said human beings cannot function e ectively or enjoy life. Health constitutes capacity to think, study, work, socialise, play and to make important choices about life. “Health is also a resource. It signi cantly expands possibilities for what one can do. Conversely, lack of health is a most painful and costly deprivation. It can severely limits possibilities for the individual, the community and the nation,” he said, adding that for this reason, access to health is both a cause and a consequence of inequality. ose who enjoy good health are in a good position to work and improve their material well- being. ose who su er ill- health may not be able to work and earn an income. He told the gathering that those who have higher incomes and/ or wealth, typically have access to the best health care money can buy, pointing out that poor people o en lack access to good health care. is, he said, is the lived experience of the majority of Batswana whose lack of ability to pay means they have to rely on a dysfunctional public health system.