Boitumelo Mosege developed hyperthyroidism after late-2023 illness, with neck swelling, whole-body itching, and frequent fainting. She stopped farming near Molepolole, about 30 miles northwest of Gaborone, after only sporadic access to medication. She spends about 2,000 pula monthly on medicine using her children’s occasional piecework and her mother’s 1,400 pula pension, and reported in early May that she had gone three months without buying medicine. Kelly Jansen, caring full time for her 83-year-old wheelchair-using father Gerhardus Jansen, spends a third of his pension on medications and supplies, and seeks an electric wheelchair to gain more freedom. Botswana’s president Duma Boko declared a public health emergency last year after shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies, citing dysfunctional health procurement and a multi-year economic downturn triggered by collapsing diamond demand, which accounts for 80% of exports.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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