GABORONE, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Duma Boko, president of Botswana, on Monday announced the establishment of a medical fund to mobilize the required resources to address the immediate medical needs of the southern African country.
In a televised address in the national capital of Gaborone, Boko declared a state of public health emergency to enhance the country's health infrastructure and implement universal healthcare reforms.
The Health First Botswana Partnership is a medical fund of 5 billion pula (about 375 million U.S. dollars), to which the Botswana Development Corporation shall commit an initial sum of 100 million pula, according to the president.
"This declaration is ensuring that there is an immediate alignment of all legal and regulatory instruments to ensure that there exists no legal or regulatory impediments toward the mobilization of required resources needed to address this health emergency," said Boko.
