Review Article
Olusola Olabisi Ogunseye
Abstract
Health financing remains a topical issue among policymakers and continues to lead in public discourse as countries design and implement policies, strategies, and approaches to achieve equity in health and universal health coverage. Through a review of literature, this paper analyses the health financing structure of Botswana vis-a-vis the health financing sub-function framework with a particular focus on the strengths and weaknesses of this health financing arrangement. Evidence shows that the government of Botswana is committed to health financing through huge public spending on health and the country boasts of increasing contribution to health financing by the private sector. However, this health financing model is bedeviled by inequity, inefficiency, fragmentation, and uncertainty in the sustainability of government funding. These challenges cast doubts on the nation’s capacity to achieve its health system vision and some health financing objectives. Adoption of strategies that worked in other countries such as mandatory national health insurance scheme and results-based financing may facilitate the process of ensuring that financing provided to Botswana’s health system efficiently translates to equity in health and assures progress towards achieving universal health coverage.