Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana Baylor, Global HOPE Programme at Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine , TEVA Pharmaceuticals and Direct Relief International have gifted Botswana with critical medicines for paediatric cancer and blood disorders valued at P5.5 million.
Speaking during the donation ceremony in Gaborone on Friday, Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti noted that Botswana had been experiencing challenges of unavailability of cancer medicine.
He said Baylor and its partners had responded by continuing to solicit strategic partnerships with donors and international pharmaceutical companies.
Hailing the initiative, Dr Dikoloti said the donation would go a long way in ensuring availability of medicines.
Availability of medicines would help children with cancer and people with blood disorders live a better life and will instill confidence in health care service providers to better manage patients, he said.
The minister said Botswana Baylor and its technical partners had been supportive of the ministry, providing care for children with cancer and blood disorders since 2007.
“To date, Botswana Baylor has provided care to over 800 children with cancers and blood disorders in Botswana,” he said.
Dr Dikoloti said capacitating health care workers to identify and refer children suspected of having cancer and related illness had also become part of the support.
He pointed out that the support and areas of collaboration between the ministry and the organisation had expanded over the years from HIV to cancer and blood disorders, paediatric surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, adult oncology, vaccine development and medical supply procurement.
Botswana Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence executive director, Prof Mogomotsi Matshaba, said the supplies would last a year.
He said efforts to source medicines had many challenges, especially with regard to procurement.
“The challenge of being a small population is another factor affecting our ability to procure medicines,” said Prof Matshaba.
Explaining that medicines were manufactured on specific orders, he stressed that manufacturing companies worked with quantities.
“So as Botswana with our small population we fail to make enough quantities to the interest manufacturers,” he said.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
