Health in Botswana
[3] Botswana is also grappling with high rates of malnutrition among children under the age of 5 which has led to other health concerns such as diarrhea and stunted growth.
In addition to an extensive network of 104 clinics with beds, 195 clinics without beds, 338 health posts and 844 mobile stops primary health care (PHC) services in Botswana are integrated within overall hospital services, being provided in the outpatient sections of all levels of hospitals.
[7] It is through these structures that a complement of preventive, promotive and rehabilitative health services as well as treatment and care of common problems are provided.
[11] Historically, a lot of Botswana's healthcare funding came from donors as part of an international effort to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa.
[2] Botswana has 26 hospitals spread across the country that are part of a three tiered system overseen by the Ministry of Health.
[citation needed] The first tier has 16 hospitals located in rural areas that each serve a maximum of 10,000 people.
In 2015, Botswana ranked 55 out of 193 in the world in child mortality rate; there was an average of 44 deaths per 1,000 live births (this equates to 2000 children dying under the age of 5).
[citation needed] A 2020 estimate from the CIA World Factbook found that Botswana's total IMR was 26.8 deaths per 1,000 live births.
[18] Individuals who are diagnosed with diarrhea would suffer from loose or watery stools at least three times a day or more frequently than normal compared with unaffected people.
[22] The global influence of diarrhea is particularly serious in sub-Saharan Africa, largely due to the high HIV pandemic.
[23] The prevention of diarrhea in this continent has become a public health challenge since its multiple sources of determinants, such as the insecurity of breastfeeding from HIV positive mothers, the unpredictability of climate changes and unqualified public hygiene preparation, thus highlighting the importance of understanding the nature of the disease and relevant strategies to address the issue.
Botswana has the fourth highest HIV prevalence in the world, after South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini.
[3] Botswana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to provide universal free antiretroviral treatment to people that had tested positive for HIV/AIDS.
[3] Exposure to early sexual debuts, forced marriages and gender-based violence has made women in Botswana more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
Botswana’s government has tried to address these inequalities through increased social services for young women, investment in female economic empowerment and more effective HIV prevention programmes for girls.
[3] Source:[25] There is a high risk of malaria in the northern half of Botswana, including the Okavango Delta, from November to June.
In 2015 the tuberculosis mortality rate was reduced by 76% to 22 deaths per 100,000; this means that Botswana achieved one of the targets for the 6th Millennium Development Goal.
Botswana has been unable to retain internationally trained health workers which has contributed to the high rate of vacancies.
[34] A 2016 study found that there was a direct correlation between doctor and nurse density, and the mortality rate and loss-to-follow-up (LTFU) on individual patients.
Their proposed temporary solution is to redistribute healthcare workers equitably throughout the country, which would bring down the mortality rate and LTFU, while the government addressed their difficulty in retaining migrant healthcare workers and improve their domestic training programs.
