Africa-Press – Botswana. The National Health Insurance (NHI) bill will be tabled in Parliament February and will be followed by institutional set up phase, which will run through until June.
Full roll out and operationalisation of the scheme, Assistant Minister of Health said was expected by end of 2028,
“Botswana has made significant gains in health outcomes, however, we continue to face challenges of fragmented financing, variable quality of care, rising costs, and inequities in access to essential services,” Mr Lawrence Ookeditse told Parliament on Wednesday.
He said government had resolved to establish a NHI scheme, which would serve as a health financing mechanism, and act as a reform tool to strengthen primary health care, improve efficiency, enhance quality, and reinforce governance and accountability.
Government’s goal is that all Batswana have access to needed health services without suffering financial hardship.
With regards to the policy and legislative framework, Mr Ookeditse said the NHI reform was structured to deliver two key instrument: a national health insurance policy, which would define the vision and objectives of NHI, the benefit package, financing arrangements, governance and institutional setup and strategic purchasing approach.
It would also seek to deliver an NHI bill, which will establish the national health insurance fund and provide the legal framework for implementation, regulation, and oversight of the scheme, Mr Ookeditse said.
He also stated that the NHI policy would directly inform the drafting of the NHI bill and related regulations.
Touching on the timelines he said, policy formulation and stakeholder engagements started in September and would end this month.
He further stated that tabling of the bill and institutional set up phase would entail establishing the national health insurance fund and its governance structures, developing enabling regulations, setting up core operational systems, and preparing for the Proof of Concept.
Mr Ookeditse stated that the implementation strategy was anchored on the principles of primary health care being the foundation of NHI, pooling and strategic purchasing, diversified and sustainable financing, phased expansion of benefit, strong governance, transparency and accountability among others.
Mr Ookeditse was responding to a question by Molepolole North MP, Mr Arafat Khan who sought the minister to apprise Parliament on the introduction of a comprehensive NHI scheme for every citizen.
He also requested the minister to indicate the timelines, policy framework and implementation strategy toward achieving universal health coverage in Botswana.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
