University of Botswana Medical School
Written by Dr. Oathokwa Nkomazana, In Country Director, Botswana UPenn Partnership

Botswana has a severe shortage of all categories of human resources for health. Over the years an attempt was made to address this by outsourcing training of doctors and allied health professionals in other countries, especially the Republic of Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Norway, the United Kingdom and the Carribean Islands. Since 1995, more than 60 students a year were sent to out to study medicine, but in 2007 less than 10% of all doctors working in Botswana are Batswana.

Botswana is now embarking on a very ambitious project: starting its first ever University of Botswana School of Health Sciences, under which will be the School of Medicine and is looking up to her development partners, including the University of Pennsylvania, for assistance.

The Botswana UPenn Partnership was asked to assist with establishing and running a rotating internship programme, for Batswana doctors graduating from the different foreign countries. This accredited programme started in January 2007 with 24 interns and the number is expected to grow to about 50 interns next year, January 2008. Dr. Oathokwa Nkomazana has been appointed the Director of Internship Programme and works with two coordinators based at Princess Marina and Nyangabgwe Referral Hospitals.

The University of Pennsylvania has also been asked to help develop the residency programme in Internal Medicine. A curriculum outline has been developed and the first group of 8 residents will start their residency in Princess Marina Hospital in August 2008.