‘I want my life back’: drugs shortages lay bare economic impact of diamond crash in Botswana

Healthcare should be free but lack of essential supplies has led to patients being told to buy their own medicines In late 2023, Boitumelo Mosege fell sick. Her neck swelled up, her whole body itched and she fainted frequently. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and had to give up her work as a farmer on the outskirts of Molepolole, a town about 30 miles north-west of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone. In Botswana, public healthcare is supposed to be universal and free. However, Mosege said sh...

By Rachel Savage and Yvonne Mooka in Molepolole