U.S. government funds COVID-19 isolation clinics across Botswana

The clinics will benefit community health workers, policymakers, managers, ministries responsible for managing and implementing community-based health services, civil society organizations and local businesses directly engaged in the provision of community health services.

The United States government through the Department of Defense's Office of Security Cooperation (OSC) provided P18.7 million to build COVID-19 isolation clinics across Botswana. This Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) funded project is aimed at strengthening Botswana's COVID-19 response.

On March 12, the U.S. Embassy's OSC Chief Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hammack and Country Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Pauline Harvey, along with MoHW Chief Project Engineer Mr. Gaebopae Motshabi and other MoHW staff members toured the proposed locations in Maun and Kasane for the clinic project.

'Our strong partnership with Botswana goes beyond security cooperation as we search ways to support their efforts in fighting the virus,' said Lt. Col. Robert Hammack, U.S. Africa Command security cooperation chief at the U.S. Embassy to Botswana.

The project includes 14 modular structures and can be utilized to provide services for 112 patients. The clinics will benefit community health workers, policymakers, managers, ministries responsible for managing and implementing community-based health services, civil society organizations and local businesses directly engaged in the provision of community health services. This project aims to improve the Government of Botswana's COVID-19 response and help to contain the spread of the pandemic in remote and isolated areas outside of Gaborone.

The project supports Government of Botswana pandemic mitigation efforts to remote and under-resourced communities across the country. This donation comes in addition to the OSC's 2020 donation of P330,000 worth of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW).