Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana’s public health system is under scrutiny after government admitted that 1,201 tuberculosis (TB) patients were treated with drugs of reduced effectiveness in 2025, raising serious concerns over patient safety and oversight failures.
OVER 1,200 PATIENTS AFFECTED
The disclosure was made in Parliament by the Assistant Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Augustine Nyatanga, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Health Stephen Modise.
Responding to a question from Tati East MP Tlhabologo Furniture, Nyatanga revealed that out of 2,868 TB patients treated between mid-2025 and November, 1,201 received compromised medication.
RISK OF DRUG-RESISTANT TB
The lapse in quality control contributed to higher treatment failure rates and raised the risk of drug-resistant TB, a dangerous and difficult-to-treat condition.
“To assess the impact, the Ministry tested 352 patients, confirming four cases of drug-resistant TB,” Nyatanga told Parliament.
UNION RAISES ALARM
While the Ministry maintains that the flawed drugs did not increase mortality—which stood at 7.5 percent in 2025, slightly down from 8 percent in 2024—the Botswana Nurses Union (BONU) has warned of potentially fatal consequences.
BONU Secretary General Onkemetse Ndulamo said substandard drugs cannot effectively eliminate TB bacteria. He also dismissed claims linking deaths to HIV co-infection, noting that TB treatment is prioritised in the first two weeks for patients with both conditions.
GOVERNMENT ORDERS RECALL
Following the revelation, the Ministry of Health initiated a nationwide recall of the affected medication and began reassessing patients. Those confirmed with drug-resistant TB are to be placed on second-line treatment immediately.
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