World Health Organization — international health agency conducting assessments and launching immunisation campaigns in Botswana, including polio vaccination and health system evaluations.
… According to the World Health Organization (WHO), effective medicine supply systems depend on accurate forecasting, transparent procurement processes, reliable storage facilities, and efficient distribution networks. …
… The $13 million funding package is split into two grants: $10 million redirected from the African Development Bank’s existing projects in the DRC, to be channeled through the World Health Organization (WHO), and $3 million from the Bank’s Multi-Country Emergency Assistance Projec …
… The country takes pride in its tradition of unpaid donors who donate blood out of altruism and community spirit, a practice that aligns with World Health Organization guidelines advocating for voluntary, non-remunerated blood donations as the safest and most sustainable approach. …
… isis Botswana’s health system remains beset by medicine shortages, critical shortages of health professionals, fragmented blood transfusion services and weak emergency preparedness despite sustained government investment in healthcare, according to a new World Health Organization …
… In 2022 alone, the World Health Organization reported approximately 580,000 malaria deaths in the African region, accounting for over 95% of global malaria fatalities. …
… President Boko commended the African Union, Africa CDC, World Health Organization and other health partners for their swift, coordinated response in mobilising African and international solidarity. …
… The high-level launch attracted a broad coalition of public health, governance, and development stakeholders, including representatives from the World Health Organization, senior government officials, civil society organisations, academia, development partners, and members of the …
… The World Health Organization highlights that unregulated rural foraging can expose communities to environmental hazards and health risks, particularly where basic services and emergency response are lacking. …
A parliamentary hearing saw Lobatse MP Kamal Jacobs demand accountability from health officials over persistent medicine stock-outs in public facilities, blaming administrative failures at the Central Medical Stores and questioning whether its acting director has the capacity to resolve procurement and distribution challenges. The Ministry of Health defended the appointment and stated efforts are underway to stabilize medicine supply chains, as the country's public healthcare system faces renewed scrutiny over shortages affecting patients with chronic illnesses and emergency care needs.
A parliamentary hearing saw Lobatse MP Kamal Jacobs demand accountability from health officials over persistent medicine stock-outs in public facilities, blaming administrative failures at the Central Medical Stores and questioning whether its acting director has the capacity to resolve procurement and distribution challenges. The Ministry of Health defended the appointment and stated efforts are underway to stabilize medicine supply chains, as the country's public healthcare system faces renewed scrutiny over shortages affecting patients with chronic illnesses and emergency care needs.
The African Development Bank announced $13 million in funding on 21 July 2026 to combat an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda, caused by the Bundibugyo variant with a fatality rate reaching 50 percent and no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments yet available.
Botswana's blood banks are dangerously understocked, with the National Blood Transfusion Services collecting only about 24,000 units annually against a national requirement of roughly 45,000 units. An Office of the Ombudsman investigation in May 2026 flagged the shortage as a direct threat to patient safety, citing systemic weaknesses including procurement failures and resource constraints.
A World Health Organization assessment found that Botswana's health system faces medicine shortages, critical shortages of health professionals, fragmented blood transfusion services, and weak emergency preparedness despite sustained government investment in healthcare.
Female Anopheles mosquitoes continue to transmit malaria across Africa, claiming approximately 580,000 lives in 2022 alone—over 95% of global malaria deaths—and disproportionately affecting children under five and pregnant women, despite decades of intervention efforts.
President Advocate Duma Boko called for urgent political, financial and technical support to contain the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, emphasizing that infectious diseases transcend borders and require collective action. Speaking at a June 16 virtual meeting, Boko stressed the importance of regional cooperation, protecting frontline health workers, and enhanced cross-border surveillance to respond to the outbreak, which has a joint preparedness and response plan valued at US$518 million.
A new report launched in Botswana warned of rising tobacco and nicotine industry influence, particularly targeting young people through vaping, and called for urgent finalisation and implementation of regulations under the Tobacco Control Act (2021). The 2025 Botswana Tobacco Industry Interference Index Report noted Botswana's global leadership in tobacco control while highlighting the need to operationalise existing legislation.
As Emergency Medicine Day approaches on May 27, the specialty is being highlighted for its growing importance in addressing global healthcare challenges, particularly in Africa where fewer than 10% have access to formal emergency medical services amid rising population growth, road accidents, and infectious disease outbreaks.
WHO and partners are launching a polio immunisation campaign aiming to reach over 272,000 children under five in Botswana. The campaign involves strengthening cold chain and logistics systems, and collaborating with the Botswana Red Cross Society and community leaders to ensure vaccination coverage and counter misinformation.
Over 3,000 harvesters have swarmed communal lands and farms in Botswana for mophane worms, a caterpillar harvested for food and income. Overharvesting, habitat destruction, and weak regulation are depleting mopane worm populations and damaging the mopane woodlands they depend on, threatening both conservation and long-term economic sustainability.