Saving Lives in Botswana

In 2004 Penn received funding from the US Public Health Service through PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which is a program that provides US Public Health Service funding to 16 affected nations, including Botswana. A combination of PEPFAR funds and research grants currently support approximately 60 full-time physicians, nurses, social workers, and auxiliary health personnel working for Penn in Botswana. 

BUP Health care Provision 

Our doctors and other health care personnel provide inpatient care on the medical wards at Princess Marina and Nyangabgwe Hospitals, outpatient care in the HIV clinics, and outreach inpatient and outpatient care at the surrounding district hospitals and local government clinics. In addition, Penn physicians and nurses run a referral clinic for complicated HIV/TB co-infected patients.

Clinical Areas:

• HIV/AIDS and co-morbidities
• Tuberculosis
• Cervical Cancer
• Dermatology
• Pediatrics

HIV Care and Support

The HIV Care and Support Program aims to improve the quality of care received by HIV positive individuals in Botswana. The program provides technical support through: outreach, service training of internal medicine residents, interns and medical students from the UB and technical support for the MOH HIV resistance clinic and inpatient medical guideline development. Botswana has the 3rd highest rate of HIV prevalence in the world with about 21.9% of the population infected. Currently, just over half of the patients we see are HIV positive, reflecting the need for specialist service in the districts.