- 14 isolation clinics to be built around the country
LETLHOGILE MPUANG
The Government of the United State of America will assist the Government of Botswana with P18 million for construction of 17 COVID-19 isolation clinics across the country.
According to a statement from the US Embassy in Gaborone, the donation is aimed at improving Botswana’s COVID-19 response. As at 9 April 2021, Botswana’s COVID-19 death toll stood at 663 while the total confirmed cases had reached 40 998 by the beginning of April 3.
“The United States Government, through the Department of Defence’s Office of Security Cooperation (OSC), provided P18.7 million to build COVID-19 isolation clinics across Botswana,” the statement said.
“This Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid (OHDACA) funded project
is aimed at strengthening Botswana’s COVID-19 response.” The statement adds that the project is aimed at supporting the pandemic mitigation efforts of the Botswana government in remote and under-resourced communities across the country.
“This donation comes in addition to the OSC’s 2020 donation of P330 000 worth of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW),” it says. “On March 12, the U.S. Embassy’s OSC Chief, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hammack, and Country Director of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Pauline Harvey, along with MoHW Chief Project Engineer, Mr. Gaebopae Motshabi, and other MoHW staff members toured the proposed locations in Maun and Kasane for the clinic project.”
The project includes 14 modular structures that can be used to provide services for 112 patients. The embassy says the clinics will benefit community health workers, policymakers, managers, ministries responsible for managing and implementing
community-based health services, civil society organizations and local businesses
directly engaged in the provision of community health services.
In March 2020, the Global Health Security Index ranked Botswana among the countries
least prepared to deal with COVID-19 pandemic. The report said the country’s public healthcare system was one of the worst in Africa due shortage of healthcare workers and poor and insufficient healthcare infrastructure.