National health accounts of the Republic of Botswana: 2000-2002

The objective of this study was to estimate the total health expenditure by various health financing sources and make recommendations for national health accounts (NHA) institutionalization. Data was obtained from government ministries, National AIDS Coordinating Agency, private for-profit/not-for-profit health care providers, public and private health insurance schemes, employers/firms, non-governmental organizations, and donors. NHA questionnaires were sent to all the 225 employers/private companies, 58 private health facilities, 27 NGOs, 12 donors and 8 insurance companies with health expenditures. The data were entered into NHA dummy matrix tables and analyzed using Excel software. The matrices were built in accordance to the International Classification of NHA to facilitate international comparison, but customized to the local situation. Total health expenditure (THE) was approximately P1172.3 million (US$218.6M) in year 2000; P1717.1 million (US$284.7M) in 2001; and P2139.3 million (US$342.9M) in 2002. That expenditure represented 6.43%, 9.27% and 10.54% of the Gross Domestic product (GDP) during the three years, respectively. NHA evidence is useful for health system governance and decision-making, design of comprehensive health financing policies and strategic plans, financial planning, monitoring and evaluation

Public-private options for expanding access to human resources for HIV/AIDS in Botswana

In responding to the goal of rapidly increasing access to antiretroviral treatment (ART), the government of Botswana undertook a major review of its health systems options to increase access to human resources, one of the major bottlenecks preventing people from receiving treatment. In mid-2004, a team of government and World Health Organization (WHO) staff reviewed the situation and identified a number of public sector scale up options. The team also reviewed the capacity of private practitioners to participate in the provision of ART. Subsequently, the government created a mechanism to include private practitioners in rolling out ART. At the end of 2006, more than 4500 patients had been transferred to the private sector for routine follow up. It is estimated that the cooperation reduced the immediate need for recruiting up to 40 medically qualified staff into the public sector over the coming years, depending on the development of the national standard for the number and duration of patient visits to a doctor per year. Thus welcome relief was brought, while at the same time not exercising a pull factor on human resources for health in the sub-Saharan region

Cumulative number of patients currently on ART in the public and private sector, September 2006 9

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Public-private options for expanding access to human resources for HIV/AIDS in Botswana"</p><p>http://www.human-resources-health.com/content/5/1/25</p><p>Human Resources for Health 2007;5():25-25.</p><p>Published online 19 Oct 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2169265.</p><p></p