Chapter Three - Health Policy and Challenges in Botswana

Summary

Introduction

The chapter on health policy analysis in Botswana explores the dynamic of the types of healthcare policy formulated by the government of the nation. It uses data analysis to explain how the health of the citizens of the country tends to be improving even though environmental conditions in some parts of Botswana tend to be very challenging to a large population of the nation. Unlike many African countries, the chapter focuses on the vision of sustainability and the challenges in Botswana that are inconsistent with those of neighboring countries. The chapter also uses graphics to explain the positive impacts of the new healthcare policies implemented by the nation's government in the past decade. It analyzes the extent to which affordable healthcare policies have expanded treatment options for rural and urban residents of Botswana simultaneously. Further, the chapter describes the condition of health promotion infrastructure, investment in health promotion, human resource training, and collaboration between public and private healthcare providers to improve health delivery in the country. Infrastructure and services for health promotion in Botswana are provided by the government through educational institutions, faith-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, general medical practitioners, and mining companies complementing the efforts of the Ministry of Health. The research for this chapter involves the administration of a survey and content analysis of government reports, academic journals, and World Health Organization reports. A review of government gazette documents was conducted to trace health policy evolutionary developments and their impact on the general lives of the people of Botswana. The research findings reveal that limited resources such as transport and financial resources are a major challenge to health and education promotion activities across the country. Health educators are limited when it comes to traveling to rural communities in Botswana. Some health policy recommendations that could help to enhance the effectiveness of healthcare delivery in the country are also provided.

Brief History

Botswana is a democratic country in the southeastern part of Africa. It has a border with South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Namibia. Botswana is almost engulfed by the Kalahari Desert, thereby making the country a sparsely populated nation with little agricultural activity (Dibie 2018). Botswana had a population of 2.6 million, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$20.3 billion in 2022 (World Bank 2022).