Gaborone: The WHO Representative to Botswana Dr Felicitas Zawaira paid a courtesy call on the new Minister of Health, Honourable Dorcas Makgato. The Minister appreciated the support WHO continues to give to Botswana and indicated that while she understands the fact that WHO is not a funding agency, she wanted to be assured that WHO support will always be forthcoming when asked for. Responding to a pointed and very relevant question, “So how useful can you be to me?”,Dr Zawaira assured the Minister of round the clock availability of WHO support. “I’m always a phone call away Honourable Minister, as I’m here as your chief health adviser apart from your staff in the Ministry. The Country office is working with the Ministry on a daily basis and the Regional structures and Headquarters are always on stand-by to provide support to Member States, where the country office is unable.” 

In addition to summarizing the work of WHO in Botswana, Dr Zawaira congratulated the Minister and Botswana on the election of a Botswana national, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, as the next WHO Regional Director for Africa. She intimated that this development is both positive and challenging as it will push Botswana and the WHO country office to ensure that Botswana’s health outcomes are good enough to match the aspirations of the Regional Office under Dr Moeti. Overall Dr Zawaira emphasized the need to entrench a “social determinants” approach to addressing health challenges as most of the determinants lie outside of the health sector and can only be addressed in concert with other sectors. Some of the key areas she highlighted included Non-communicable Diseases, Ebola and Maternal health where other stakeholders can be engaged.

In the end Minister Makgato indicated that the brief from WHO has helped her appreciate issues from an external stakeholder perspective and will help her conceptualize her strategy going forward. She indicated that she is still getting to understand the complex Ministry and its stakeholders and she will present her vision in the new year. “The way I work is that people will always know where we agree or disagree,” said the Minister.

Honourable Makgato is the immediate past Minister of Trade and Industry. It was under her tenure that the Trade and Liquor Acts were separated, the Traditional Beer Regulations promulgated and the Alcohol Levy instituted. 

As Dr Zawaira happily noted,  “With a results oriented Minister, the Ministry is in good hands and that should keep us all on our toes”