An estimated 90 kidney patients are reeling from psychological trauma after the nation’s entire public health system ran out of Peritoneal dialysis fluid, raising questions about the ‘efficacy’ of Botswana’s medical procurement and stock management systems
CALISTUS BOSALETSWE
Scores of kidney patients across Botswana were recently thrust into weeks of a life-threatening crisis when public hospitals ran out of vital medication, forcing doctors to resort to emergency, high-risk treatment methods to keep them alive.
But there was a glimmer of hope for the estimated 90 patients affected over the weekend when new Peritoneal dialysis stock arrived in the country and distribution to facilities countrywide began.
The Ministry of Health (M0H) has confirmed a nationwide shortage of Peritoneal Dialysis fluid, a critical treatment solution for kidney patients, leaving nearly 90 patients in a desperate need for alternatives.
Irreversible
Among the affected is Kabo Lekwalo, a kidney patient who had no choice but to switch to Hemodialysis, a more invasive and risk-prone treatment method. “Since I wanted to save my life, I had to do it,” she said. “But this treatment has serious consequences, some of which are irreversible.”
The shortage of Peritoneal dialysis fluid, which began in early May, compelled public hospitals to divert patients from the home-based treatment option to Hemodialysis, which requires regular hospital visits and comes with higher risk of complications.
The Ministry has acknowledged the dire impact on patients and the potentially life-threatening state of affairs that has resulted from the shortage of Peritoneal Dialysis fluid.
New stock
Speaking to The Botswana Gazette, the spokesman of MoH, Dr Christopher Nyanga, said switching to Hemodialysis was an emergency response to avoid total treatment disruptions and acknowledged the dangers associated with the shortage.
“It is true that in the absence of Peritoneal dialysis fluid, some patients can complicate, resulting in severity or deterioration of the kidney disease,” he said.
After weeks of uncertainty, there was a glimmer of hope over the weekend when new Peritoneal Dialysis stock finally arrived in the country and distribution to facilities nationwide began.
Individual assessment
However, Dr Nyanga said patients’ treatment paths will now require individual assessment to determine whether to revert to Peritoneal dialysis or continue with Hemodialysis.
This latest supply crisis raises concerns about systemic weaknesses in Botswana’s public healthcare procurement and stock management systems. For many patients, the incident has left a mark of emotional upheaval and psychological trauma.
Lekwalo, like many others, is now left wondering about the long-term effects of a treatment that she did not choose and whether such a disruption will recur. “We just want to live but sometimes it feels like we are on our own,” she said.