Health Services Package to solve Botswana health service challenges
The Ministry of Health in collaboration with stakeholders is currently reviewing the health policy; developing an ambitious Essential Health Services Package to address all health needs of Batswana.
According to the Minister, Dr. Edwin Dikoloti, this will also include developing a health financing strategy that will leverage on multiple health financing options and not just rely on Government alone; but also developing a robust health information system that would enable data exchange and visibility at all levels including at the community.
Dr. Dikoloti said during the RC73 side event dedicated to Primary Health Care ( PHC) that the Electronic Health Information System would also enable clients to engage directly with the community health system through two- way targeted and untargeted messaging.
He said the RC73 serves as an important pedestal in Botswana’s quest for revitalising PHC, achieving the health- related Universal Health Coverage and ultimately Sustainable Development Goals.
“Botswana has made a lot of progress towards the attainment of good health for the population through the PHC approach,” Dr. Dikoloti said, adding that health service provision is approached as an integrated element of total health care for the individual, family and community.
PHC was defined in the Alma- Ata Declaration in 1978 as essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that the community and the country can afford to maintain at every state of their development in the spirit of self- reliance and self- determination.
Dr. Dikoloti admitted that significant environmental, ecological, demographic and epidemiological transitions have taken place, affecting health care delivery.
“These changes and transitions disrupted the gains made in PHC implementation and have had a profound effect on the way we plan and manage our health policy and programmes, coercing health response to go beyond the confines of the health sector,” he said.
The Ministry of Health, according to Dr. Dikoloti, took a deliberate decision to revitalise PHC in response to the rapid global changes and the prevailing formidable health challenges.
“The aim is to ensure that PHC will continue to be firmly embedded as an indispensable element of public health interventions at all levels,” he said, adding that this is in line with the 2018 Astana global conference on PHC.
He said Botswana still commits to PHC and health services that are of high quality, safe, comprehensive, integrated, accessible, available and affordable for everyone and everywhere, provided with compassion, respect and dignity by health professionals who are well- trained, skilled, motivated and committed.
Dr Dikoloti added that PHC revitalisation would also attract partnerships and ensure integration of health services and collaboration with the private sector and other health and related sectors.
“We are happy with the progress we are making so far as our stakeholders, including development partners and funders are aligning their technical support and funding towards activities in line with PHC approach, rather than vertical disease specific interventions”.
He added that there is a need for health systems strengthening using the PHC approach to better accommodate the needs of various integrated preventive programmes and as an effective framework to address key challenges.
“Revitalising PHC therefore, builds synergies among sectoral policies and strategies and develops multi- stakeholder partnerships at all levels including alignment to the government health agenda.”
The World Health Report 2008 on PHC, states that PHC is not the antithesis to the hospital, nor a cheap approach needing only modest investment, but rather it requires considerable investment at the same time providing considerable value for money.