Africa-Press – Botswana. Founder of EMPIRICA Actuaries Mr Edwin Afitile has voiced concerns over Botswana’s readiness to implement a National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, citing systemic weaknesses and inadequate infrastructure as major obstacles.
Speaking during a public lecture in Gaborone on Saturday, Mr Afitile said although the idea of a national insurance programme was commendable in principle, Botswana lacked the foundational systems and resources needed to ensure its success.
The public lecture themed: Emperical observations on minimum wage and National Health Insurance: Actual Perspective on Sustainability in Botswana was held as government aims to expand universal health coverage and reduce the burden of out-of-pocket expenses on citizens.
“Implementing NHI in Botswana right now would be premature,” Mr Afitile said. “We do not yet have the capacity in terms of healthcare personnel, digital systems, and policy enforcement mechanisms to run such a complex system effectively,” he added.
He emphasised that current disparities in access to quality healthcare, particularly between private and government health care providers, could worsen if the system was rushed without adequate groundwork.
“We need to address existing inefficiencies and inequities before we can build a sustainable and fair insurance model,” he added.
Mr Afitile also pointed to logistical and financial constraints, including limited funding, fragmented health data systems, and lack of stakeholder coordination.
“It is not just about policy, it’s about practical implementation, and we are not there yet,” he concluded.
Mr Afitile said while the Ministry of Health had announced consultations and feasibility studies on the proposed NHI scheme, there was need to address issues on the ground, further stating that more preparatory work was needed.
“Identify problems in the health care system first, and thereafter measuring risks, projecting costs and sustainability, that is when it can take ground,” said Mr Afitile.
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