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6 Promoting a<br />
Healthy Nation<br />
6.1 Situational analysis<br />
The current health system in Botswana is tilted more towards curative. The<br />
curative model has proven to be expensive with less improvement in the national<br />
health status. Despite our high expenditure, we still see emergence of childhood<br />
preventable diseases like diarrhoea, malnutrition and high under five years mortality<br />
rate. Our maternal mortality rate is not improving; resistant TB is on the increase.<br />
HIV infections and STI remain high. The load of preventable life style diseases like<br />
sugar diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure is on the increase. This can be<br />
reduced by robust primary and community based interventions which focus on<br />
prevention, early detection and treatment.<br />
6.2 Our Social Contract on Health<br />
A healthy nation is a pre-condition for development. There can be no meaningful<br />
development when the country’s health sector is in a state of crisis.<br />
In order to promote universal access to quality services we shall:<br />
• Promote the full implementation of Primary Health Care that focuses on prevention<br />
– we shall revert to the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 to ensure a health delivery<br />
system anchored on equity, accessibility, affordability and community involvement.<br />
• Review the Public Health Act – the Public Health Act will be reviewed to remove<br />
objectionable provisions in as far as HIV and Human Rights are concerned.<br />
• Strengthen the public health system - We shall be unrelenting in our pursuit<br />
for high standards and quality service. In particular, we pledge to preserve the<br />
integrity of the public health system so that access to services is not the domain<br />
of those who can afford to pay for it. We are committed to public health services<br />
that are free at the point of delivery.<br />
• Support health workers as key players for success in the health system. To this end<br />
we shall provide high quality training for health workers , reform the pay system for<br />
health workers to provide better and fairer rewards for all staff including ancillary<br />
staff and increase health workers in all health facilities to minimize staff-burnout.<br />
• Strengthen Partnerships in Health – we shall develop a machinery of collaboration<br />
READY TO LEAD<br />
<strong>BCP</strong> <strong>2014</strong>-2019 MANIFESTO<br />
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