Africa-Press – Botswana. Investments into large-scale projects such as the healthcare sector are of great and urgent interest to government, says Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Mmusi Kgafela.
Officially opening the 59-beds-Francistown Academic Hospital (FAH), located between Francistown and Tatisiding, on Thursday Mr Kgafela said this was because they contributed to the improvement of lives in Botswana as people gained access to quality medical care.
“Such investments also create jobs, and open opportunities to Botswana businesses to trade and supply products and services to such facilities,” he said. “Thus they are key to the growth of the health value chains.”
The entrance of FAH in the market as the fourth private care facility and the second homegrown hospital brand in Botswana is a proud partnership between Indus Healthcare Group, Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) and Botswana International Trade Centre (BITC).
Mr Kgafela said public-private collaboration remained a key objective on the national developmental agenda. “The benefits of collaborative efforts in Botswana have been most evident through several industry-pioneering developments executed under BDC over its 53-year history,” he said.
Mr Kgafela said this venture was one of the rare sustainable investment projects in the sense that the return on investment realised was not solely focused on the capital invested.
“It contributes to our corporate social responsibility objectives. In addition, it will also contribute immensely to the development of specialised skills in the health sector, thus directly contributing to the already scarce skills for the health sector,” he said.
The minister further said there was an urgency to establish health facilities such as hospitals in SADC region for several reasons both in a local, regional and global context.
He said the new Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) forecasts anticipated that health expenditure would outpace GDP growth over the next 15 years in almost every OECD countries.
The OECD is a unique forum where governments of 37 democracies with market-based economies collaborate to develop policy standards to promote sustainable economic growth.
Minister Kgafela said the same forecasts further indicated that health spending per capita would grow at an average annual rate of 2.7 per cent across the OECD countries and would reach 10.2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030, up from 8.8 per cent recorded in 2018.
Speaking at the same event, the Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said the opening of FAH was a milestone to the country’s healthcare sector and a sign of Botswana’s commitment to improving access to quality healthcare services.
He explained that the government and supporting state owned enterprises such as BDC and BITC had rallied from the onset to support the coming into being of the FAH.
Dr Dikoloti said FAH represented a significant milestone in the country’s journey towards accessible and high-quality healthcare for all.
“This modern facility is equipped with the latest medical equipment, advanced diagnostics, and treatment technologies,” he said.
“It will surely serve as a centre of excellence, attracting medical professionals from within and outside our borders to collaborate, learn, and provide the best possible care for our patients.”
Dr Dikoloti said the government would continue to work closely with private sector to improve access to health care for all citizens and further ensure that health policies and strategies align with the broader goal of providing affordable and quality healthcare to all. Meanwhile, FAH Executive Head, Dr Navtej Singh said since the opening of the hospital in 2019, the facility had managed to help alleviate lack of unemployment in the country. He explained that at present, FAH had employed 201 Batswana, 144 females and 57 males and was home to a variety of specialists and medical experts.
Dr Singh said with time, the hospital would increase its bedding capacity from the current 59 to 150 beds.
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