Swiss Confederation President, Alain Berset arrived in Gaborone on Monday on a two-day historic state visit to Botswana at the invitation of President, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi.
He was accompanied by spouse, Muriel Zeender-Berset, senior government officials and a delegation of Swiss multinational companies representatives. Having established formal diplomatic relations in 1967, Botswana and Switzerland enjoy excellent bilateral relations anchored on shared values of commitment to democracy, good governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights and a common vision for a free market society.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs news release states that there have been a number of high-level exchanges between the two countries, among them President Masisi’s May 2022 working visit to Switzerland. The Swiss Confederation’s engagement with Botswana is based on its country’s Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy 2021-2024. On the economic front, Botswana-Switzerland relations are governed through the Southern African Customs Union – European Free Trade Association Free Trade Area (SACU-EFTA FTA).
In June 1998, the two countries signed an Agreement on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment which intends to enhance economic cooperation and create a favourable condition for investment.
The two countries also cooperate in various areas such as agriculture, defence, education, health, immigration, trade and investment.
The parties have also signed several agreements, including a Memorandum of Understanding between the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), and the University de Lausanne signed in 2018. In 2019, an agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports was signed between the Swiss Federal Council and the Botswana government.On regional and multilateral cooperation, Botswana and Switzerland are both members of the World Trade Organisation and the UN and continue to work together at different levels to address common global issues such peace and security, climate change, global health, economic and social justice.
On Tuesday, he visited Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership and National Health Laboratory. He also visited the National Assembly, SADC headquarters and Tlokweng Kgotla, and attended the Botswana-Switzerland Business Forum.
President Alain Berset expresses has concern about Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMT) being underutilised
Last year, SKMT hospital management announced that the facility is licensed as a private hospital to offer healthcare services and will give access primarily through referrals from both private and public health facilities and medical practitioners.
“The hospital should start operating. These beds that we were shown must be occupied by patients and I understand the hospital helped a lot during COVID-19,” Berset said.
However, the acting Minister of Health Sethomo Lelatisitswe said the government is doing everything in its power to ensure that the hospital starts to operate.
“Another issue is that some of the doctors who were helping us a lot during the pandemic are not with us but somewhere else. Our aim is to come up with strategies to bring back some of our local doctors home.
Your Excellency, you will agree with me that achieving the dream we have had for this hospital would require a change in strategy and hence our hope in the agreement we entered into through declaration of intent which we signed earlier this morning,” Lelatisitswe told Berset yesterday.
He further pledged their commitment to ensuring the establishment of the steering committee as possible to ensure the implementation of the declaration of intent.
The Assistant Minister said having highlighted their challenges and strategies for development, particularly in diagnostic testing, disease surveillance and service delivery as provided at their quaternary health facility, operationalising the agreement as provided by the declaration of intent will be their highest priority.
Berset arrived on Monday with his spouse, Muriel Zeender-Berset and other Swiss government officials and departed on Wednesday February 8.
Source: BOPA & https://www.mmegi.bw/news/president-berset-wants-skmt-hospital-operational/news
