The issue of ventilators and ICU beds in Botswana irritates me and dare I say, makes me VERY angry. We need to FOCUS. Botswana’s healthcare system needs to be strengthened.

Bagaetsho... we don’t have enough hospital beds. Forget ICU beds for a moment. It’s SO painful to take care of patients on the floor. Who has been to Marina? Imagine a new mom with baby on the floor and having to attend her and her baby. It’s PAINFUL.

Right now... today... before we even get to ICU, we don’t have enough beds for patients. The WHO recommends 5 beds/1000 population. We have 1.8 (2010 data per WHO/World Bank). Ke raya regular beds to take care of balwetse. It effing SUCKS.

Before you even mention ICU beds, you should talk about people who are able to run an ICU. We don’t have the numbers. I won’t talk about adults... I’m the only pediatric intensivist in the country. Think about that for a moment. It’s traumatic.

We don’t have enough ICU beds. That’s not news to us in the healthcare sector. O kile wa bona ngwana a thoka ICU, and there’s no bed in the whole country?! Do you know how that f*cks you up?! But before beds, there isn’t a single TRAINED peds critical care nurse in Botswana.

I’m a children’s ICU doctor. Dealing with this is my everyday. Gongwe lona it’s the first you’re hearing of it. It’s sensational to you. It hurts. I keep using that word hurts because that’s how it feel. It hurts. COVID19 is simply highlighting it. #BWbeatingCOVID19