Debswana spends over P160 million on healthcare annually

Orapa, Jwaneng Hospitals serve over 200 000 patients yearly

Diamonds might not be forever, but their impact will be felt for many generations to come. One of the ways this is possible is through the massive investment that Debswana, one of the world’s leading diamond producers by value and volume, has made towards healthcare in Botswana.

Debswana Diamond Company, owned in equal shares by the Government of Botswana and De Beers Group, spends over P160 million each year on healthcare, running the two district referral hospitals at Jwaneng and Orapa mines.

According to Senior Corporate Affairs Manager, Matshidiso Kamona, Debswana operates two hospitals in its zones of influence of Orapa, located in the Central District and Jwaneng located in the South Central of Botswana. Both the Orapa and Jwaneng Hospitals provide a whole spectrum of public health services. The hospitals are accredited by the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa ( COHSASA).

Kamona is quick to point out that these hospitals are open to the public at no extra cost. “In terms of accessibility, 80 percent of the people who utilise services from Debswana operated hospitals are members of the public, while only 20 percent are employees,” she told

Botswana Guardian.

Debswana Diamond Company, which operates in total four diamond mines in Orapa, Letlhakane, Damtshaa and Jwaneng, is also proud to have contributed to the development of health care facilities in Botswana such as the expansion of the Letlhakane Maternity wing.

The company also completed construction of a fully- fledged Maboane Clinic at a cost of P11 million. These interventions, according to Kamona, have assisted in improving access to primary health care by Batswana in alignment with Vision 2036 ambition of Achieving Prosperity for All.

The two hospitals, Orapa and Jwaneng serve an average in excess of 200 000 patients per annum.

Beyond health facilities, Debswana has over the years also contributed significantly towards health needs of Botswana through comprehensive health programmes including provision of ambulance service for reported emergencies within 100km radius of their areas of influence, that is, villages surrounding Debswana mining operations, for chronic disease management, wound dressings and more.

Debswana has also been instrumental in HIV and TB outreach management to villages neighbouring their operations.

Debswana - a major contributor to the national economy of Botswana – contributing significantly to the gross domestic product, foreign exchange earnings and government revenues, further assists Government with the coordination of the Masa programme, which was aimed at increasing access to Highly Active Anti- Retroviral Therapy.

“Our hospitals serve as referral centres for maternity services and cases, complicated surgical cases, from ante- natal care, delivery to post- natal care,” Kamona said, adding that Debswana has made positive impact in child welfare clinic and reproductive health services provision, for example, contraception.

According to Kamona, Jwaneng hospital also serves as a lead in the maternal mortality mandates for the region and hosts monthly maternal morbidity and mortality meetings where information is shared with district partners towards improved maternal outcomes. Vaccination services to communities have also been made possible and easier by the company.

Covid- 19 was a major disruption not only to Botswana’s health system, but the world over. In dealing with the global pandemic, Debswana focused on making contribution in strategic focus areas. These include; Development of Industry, development of Covid- 19 management guidelines in collaboration with Ministry of Health and other industry leaders.

Debswana’s financial contribution to the national Covid- 19 response amounted to

P35.7 million. There was also capacitation of District Health Management Teams through equipment donations, as well as upgrade of Mmatshumo Hostel into an isolation facility. In addition, treatment of complicated Covid- 19 patients at the mine hospitals was made available, as well as vaccine rollout to community members at all the three sites. Overall Debswana’s financial contribution was P227, 913, 827.

Debswana has always placed emphasis in the health of its employees, and established the Debswana Anti- Retroviral Therapy ( ART) Fund Trust in May 2001 to provide assistance in the form of management of HIV and Aids for HIV positive employees, and their dependents through a comprehensive Disease Management Programme.

The Fund has since grown and expanded its scope from a purely HIV and Aids Programme to a Wellness programme offering services including; Disease ( HIV/ Aids) management programme ( Antiretroviral treatment), Lifestyle management programme ( wellness education and promotion), Employee Assistance Programme ( Psychotherapy and counselling) and Employee Financial wellbeing Programme.

In addition, Debswana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health to collaborate on ways to improve the status of health primarily in host communities and eventually roll over the programme nationally.

The two partners have identified six focus areas for implementation between 2024 and 2030. The six areas aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are; SGD 2 – Malnutrition, SDG 3.1 - Maternal mortality, SDG 3.3 - Infectious diseases, SDG 3.4 - Non communicable diseases, SDG 3.5 – Drugs and Substance Abuse and SDG 3.8 - Universal health coverage.

A Partnership Steering Committee has been established and is currently engaged in designing an implementation plan to action the intents of the MoU.

The company however, acknowledges that access to medical facilities for care is still a main challenge in their zone of influence due to geographic spread and low socioeconomic status of much of the populace. Secondly, system over- crowding and non- adherence to set Ministry of Health referral systems also poses a challenge.

In addition, resource limitations by referral facilities hindering smooth patient referrals and affecting outcome in some instances. There is also a lack of understanding by the communities of the system of service delivery at Debswana facilities and the opportunities the private service provides for the communities.

One of the challenges many Batswana experience in accessing health care has been the shortage of medications in public hospitals and facilities. To tackle this challenge, Debswana facilities are in partnership with various pharmaceutical suppliers which have been enablers during acute shortage of drugs and has thus been able to keep medication supply within reasonable levels at all times.

The mining company that was established in 1969 is proud that among its achievements in its contribution towards the country’s healthcare, is infrastructural developments that have made it easier to better service communities.

In Jwaneng this is still ongoing and the patient experience as a result has greatly improved. Clinical outcomes especially of maternal morbidity and mortalities are a testament to the diligence obtained at these facilities despite all the challenges.

Implementation of innovative ways of providing service, for example, the e- pharmacy service at Jwaneng was the first of its kind nationally and has transformed dispensing of medication in the facility. Debswana is one of the largest private sector employers, with over 5500 employees and over 6000 contractors. Debswana is also the largest contributor to the De Beers Group rough diamond production.

The company is committed to mining safely, optimally, and responsibly, as well as making a meaningful contribution to the development of communities around its mines and the nation at large, thus making life brilliant.