A Healthcare Case Study from Botswana, Africa

Botswana has an extensive primary healthcare network, but this has not translated into effective universal health coverage. The country’s health outcomes are inferior to those of countries with similar per capita expenditure on health. The sparse population in a big country further compromises Botswana’s healthcare provision. It, therefore, needs to rethink its primary healthcare provision models. This chapter describes a proposed pilot model of primary care in a small village. The primary healthcare centre, named Setshegong Health Centre, will be part of the Pilikwe smart village initiative, envisioned by Pilikwe citizens in collaboration with multiple stakeholders in Botswana and Canada. Setshegong will also be a centre for rural health training and research, facilitated by its various collaborators. Through the centre, the proponents hope to answer questions about optimal human resources, infrastructure development, professional development, effective community participation, restoration of community trust in the health system, best funding model and optimization of referral system from primary to tertiary healthcare. The health centre will run as a private, not-for-profit entity, developed by the author through personal resources and fundraising. The community has already assigned land for the project at no cost.