Botswana declares health crisis, can’t afford meds due to weak diamond demand

GABORONE, Aug 25 (Reuters) – Botswana’s President Duma Boko declared a public health emergency on Monday, saying the national medical supply chain had failed, leaving hospitals and clinics short of medicine and other vital stock.

Boko said the military would oversee an emergency distribution drive, and the first trucks would leave the capital Gaborone and head to remote areas by the evening.

The southern African country’s health ministry warned in early August it was running out of medicines and supplies due to unspecified financial challenges, and postponed all non-urgent surgery.

“The medical supply chain as run by central medical stores has failed,” Boko said in a televised address. “This failure has led to a severe disruption to health supplies countrywide.”

The finance ministry had approved 250 million pula ($17.35 million) in emergency funding for procurement, he added.

Botswana’s budget has been constrained this year due to a prolonged downturn in the global diamond market – it is the world’s leading producer of diamonds by value.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has also cut funding that was supporting Botswana’s health sector.

A spokesperson for Botswana’s government did not immediately respond to questions about whether that had contributed to the crisis.

In its statement on Aug. 4, the health ministry said it owed 1 billion pula to private health facilities and suppliers, which was compounding its challenges.

Medicines for hypertension, cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, eye conditions, asthma, sexual reproductive health and mental health conditions were all running out, it said.

There were also shortages of dressings and sutures, it added.