Where We Work / Botswana

As the leading cause of death among all age groups in Botswana, HIV/AIDS has a tremendous impact on the population and health workforce. Labor shortages related to the toll of HIV/AIDS are increasing, as well as the number of people in need of antiretroviral therapy. It remains difficult for the country’s human resources for health (HRH) to meet the current challenges.

The Capacity Project's work in Botswana focused on supporting the country’s immediate needs for collecting and digitizing HRH data. The Project assisted in the establishment of a regular meeting for human resources information system (HRIS) stakeholders to discuss HRIS requirements and ensure that the systems developed will meet long-term as well as short-term needs. The Project employed a consultant in-country to aid in the coordination and supervision of a facility-level health workforce data collection activity, in partnership with HLSP (a consulting group) and the Ministry of Health. In addition to assisting with the data collection process, the Project was charged with ensuring data completeness and accuracy, and ensuring that follow-up with facilities occurred in the case of incomplete or inaccurate forms. The Project also worked to engage leaders at various departments within the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Management to coordinate the digitization of paper records. The Project conducted HRIS strengthening in preparation for implementation of iHRIS Manage as an intermediate solution for the country’s pressing HRH information management needs.