The Ministry of Health is mandated with the overall oversight and delivery of health services for Batswana. It formulates acts, policies, regulations and norms, standards and guidelines for health services. It is a major provider of health services (80% to the population) through a range of public health facilities in different parts of the country. 95% of the population in Botswana lives within five kilometers of a health facility.
Vision
A Healthy Nation.
Mission
To promote health and provide integrated, holistic and sustainable, preventative, curative and rehabilitative quality health services to the nation
- Health Policy Research and Development
- Health Services Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)
- Health Services Management
- District Health Management Teams (DHMTs)
- Corporate Services
The Ministry departments are as follows:
1. Primary Health Care – oversees the following departments:
I. Primary Care
Responsible for Primary Care policies and standards; Disease Management; Rehabilitation, Palliative Care; and Quality Management, for Primary Hospitals.
II. Nursing & Midwifery
Responsible for Clinical Nursing and Midwifery Care standards, Ethics and Professionalism standards, Nursing & Midwifery Policies and Strategies, and Research & Quality Improvement.
III. Public Health
Responsible for Public Health Policies & Standards, Disease Prevention & Control, Health Promotion, Emergency Preparedness and Response.
2. Specialised Health Care - oversees the following departments:
I. Specialised Health Care
Responsible for Clinical Policies & Standards, Disease Management, Rehabilitation, Palliative Care, Quality Management, and Clinical Safety for Referral and District Hospitals.
II. Clinical Support Services
Responsible for Bio-Medical Engineering standards, Emergency Medical Response standards, Therapeutic Standards, and Diagnostic Standards.
III. National Health Laboratory
Responsible for Specialised Laboratory Services, Pathology Services, Blood Transfusion Policies & Services, and Laboratory Diagnostic Standards.
IV. Quaternary Hospital
Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital is quaternary institution offering specialist care.
V. Referral Hospitals
Responsible for tertiary level of Patient Care and Specialist Services. There are three of them in the country; Princess Marina Hospital, Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital and S’brana Psychiatric Hospital.
VI. District Hospitals
Responsible for secondary level of Patient Care with limited Specialist Services. There are seven District Hospitals, namely: Scottish Livingstone Hospital, Athlone Hospital, Deborah Retief Memorial Hospital, Mahalapye District Hospital, Sekgoma Memorial Hospital, Selebi-Phikwe Government Hospital, and Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital.
VII. Primary Hospitals
Responsible for primary level of Patient Care. There are seven Primary Hospitals, namely: Palapye Primary Hospital, Gumare Primary Hospital, JPK Primary Hospital, Bobonong Primary Hospital, Mmadinare Primary Hospital, Goodhope Primary Hospital, Gantsi Primary Hospital, Gweta Primary Hospital, Tutume Primary Hospital, Masunga Primary Hospital, Hukuntsi Primary Hospital, Tsabong Primary Hospital, Kasane Primary Hospital, Letlhakane Primary Hospital, Rakops Primary Hospital, Thamaga Primary Hospital, Letlhakeng Primary Hospital, Sefhare Primary Hospital and Moshupa Primary Hospital (construction ongoing).
VIII. Mission Hospitals
There are also two (2) Mission Hospitals namely; Bamalete Lutheran Hospital and Kanye Adventist Hospital.
3. Health Services
Oversees Health Regulation and other administrative functions such as Health Policy Research & Development, and Monitoring and Evaluation & Quality Improvement.
4. Central Medical Stores
Responsible for human health drug policies and strategies, procurement and distribution of drugs and medical supplies to all health facilities in the country.
5. Corporate Services
Responsible for overall corporate governance; Human Resource and Administration, Development and Finance, Procurement, and Facilities Management.
6. Transformation Office
This is a generic office is responsible for facilitating the Permanent Secretary with Strategy coordination, Change Management, Reforms, Quality Assurance as well as Monitoring & Evaluation.
7. State-Owned Enterprises
The Ministry also has existing State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) and those that are in the process of becoming SOEs, as follows:
a) Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority – approved and operating as SOE.
b) Botswana Public Health Institute – Still operating as a department in the ministry Health Inspectorate – Still operating as a department in the ministry.
c) Health Regulation – Still operating as a department in the ministry.
