Public hospitals and clinics are reportedly being prevented from soliciting donations of medicines and medical supplies from potential benefactors, Sunday Standard been informed. This is despite continuing shortages that have left patients struggling to access essential healthcare.
A health professional, who spoke about the situation in the public health sector, described conditions as dire, saying some facilities had gone for more than six months without critical medicines and were running short of basic supplies such as cotton wool.
‘The situation is super bad. That’s the honest, painful truth,’ the professional said.
‘Whatever is there is in very limited numbers. We have been without a lot of critical medication for almosta year now. We don’t even have cotton wool.’
The source said the shortages extended beyond medicines to include an acute shortage of blood. Public health facilities just cannot provide essential and potentially life-saving treatment.
The situation is compounded by reports that health facilities cannot independently approach potential donors for assistance, leaving them reliant on government procurement and supply systems that have so far failed.
The professional said public facilities were unable to purchase supplies or pay suppliers without authorisation from the Ministry of Finance, while outstanding payments to suppliers had reportedly accumulated to millions of pula.
‘We can’t buy or pay suppliers without authority from Ministry of Finance. Suppliers are owed millions,’ the source said.
The restrictions on fundraising and soliciting donations mean hospitals and clinics cannot explore alternative ways of obtaining urgently needed supplies while government procurement processes remain constrained.
Patients have to look elsewhere to obtain their prescriptions. The shortages also extend to basic wound-care materials, including cotton wool and bandages, placing additional pressure on patients who depend entirely on the public health system.
The revelation comes just days after President Duma Boko returned from a state visit to China where, he said, the government secured a commitment of medical equipment and healthcare consumables worth tens of millions.
Addressing the media in Gaborone on October 19, Boko announced that China had also deployed 46 doctors to assist, as the government seeks to address challenges in the health sector. He also referred to anticipated medicine supplies from Oman reportedly worth millions as well.
The medicine supply crisis previously prompted Boko to declare a public health emergency in August 2025 after severe shortages affected hospitals and clinics nationwide. The disruption included shortages of essential medicines and medical commodities, with the government launching emergency procurement and distribution interventions.
In January 2026, the Ministry of Health reported that medicine availability had improved through local and international procurement, while acknowledging that the supply situation had yet to stabilise fully.
The latest account from the health professional suggests that serious gaps persist, particularly in access to essential medicines and basic consumables.