The Maun Medical 2025 Outreach, held in Maun recently, has once again proven to be a vital bridge between healthcare providers and the community, even though attendance numbers dropped compared to previous years.
According to Cinderella Gaebowe, a Community Health Nurse, this year’s outreach recorded 767 participants, significantly fewer than the 2,923 who attended last year, when the numbers typically ranged between 1,000 and 3,000. Despite the smaller turnout, Gaebowe said the medical team successfully delivered essential health services to everyone present.
“The largest number of people sought services from the eye health providers, especially those aged 46 and above,” she noted. Gaebowe added that one of the most overlooked benefits of such outreach programs is their ability to ease congestion at hospitals. By offering universal health screenings, these initiatives help detect potential health issues early while ensuring that those in need of urgent care can be referred directly to medical professionals on site.
The outreach was first initiated in 2023 by Dumelang Saleshando, Member of Parliament for Maun North, to bridge healthcare access gaps in the North West region. The idea was to bring together both government and private healthcare facilities to test for various ailments, providing access to people who might otherwise be unable to afford medical care. The screenings included checks for high blood pressure (hypertension), eye diseases, cancer, dental diseases, sexually transmitted infections, and liver diseases.
On the eye health side, Leano Molathwa from Eye Gallery expressed satisfaction with the community’s response. “The whole idea was to sensitize the community on how important it is to check your eyes and make sure your eyesight is up to par with the rest of your body,” he explained.
Molathwa’s team distributed informational materials on various eye conditions and their treatments. “In cases where someone needs surgery for cataracts or glaucoma, we provide prescriptions and referrals,” he said. “The community was very happy — people came in numbers. Usually, they have to wait for specialists or pay high fees, but here, they got access to everything: BP tests, eye exams, HIV tests, and more.”
He further highlighted that eye problems are often untreated in the region due to limited access to optical services and long waits at public hospitals. “Some people live with vision problems for years because they fear the long queues,” Molathwa said, adding that environmental factors such as heat and sunlight also worsen eye conditions in Maun and surrounding areas.
Molathwa advised residents to take advantage of free eye tests currently offered by Eye Gallery until December, and to wear sunglasses for protection from excessive sunlight. “It’s better to know your condition than to assume,” he urged.
According to the Public Health Personnel 2025 report, Botswana continues to fall short of the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmark of 45 doctors and nurses per 10,000 people, a standard regarded as the minimum threshold to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In 2023, Botswana recorded 4.1 doctors, 31.0 nurses, and 2.3 pharmaceutical personnel per 10,000 population* all figures that indicate a downward trend compared to previous years.
Between 2021 and 2023, the number of medical doctors declined from 1,091 to 1,003, while nurses decreased from 8,948 to 7,641. Similarly, the count of pharmaceutical personnel dropped from 664 to 575 over the same period. These reductions are significant, given the critical role these professionals play in the country’s healthcare delivery system.
The falling ratios suggest increasing pressure on the existing workforce, especially in rural and underserved areas, where shortages are typically more pronounced. This could affect service delivery, waiting times, and the overall quality of care. The decline may be attributed to several factors, including retirements, resignations, migration of skilled workers to other countries, and slow replacement rates due to limited recruitment and training capacity.
