Lobatse Member of Parliament Kamal Jacobs is facing criticism over remarks directed at the Acting Director of the Central Medical Stores (CMS). which the Botswana Pharmacy Union (BPU) has described as xenophobic, discriminatory and inconsistent with the values of Botswana’s democracy.
The condemnation follows comments made by Jacobs during a recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing examining the country’s persistent shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies.
During the proceedings, Jacobs allegedly told the Acting CMS Director, “if it were me, you could be going back to your country,” a statement that has triggered outrage from the pharmacy fraternity.
The BPU said the remarks were unacceptable and amounted to a personal attack against a public officer based on his nationality.
“The Botswana Pharmacy Union strongly and unequivocally condemns these remarks,” the union said, arguing that telling a dedicated public servant to “go back to his country” was discriminatory and undermined the principles of equality, respect and Botho.
The union warned that the medicine shortage crisis should not be reduced to the actions of one individual, arguing that the challenges facing CMS are rooted in broader systemic failures.
It further argued that blaming CMS leadership for national shortages ignores the wider administrative environment within which the institution operates, including lengthy approval processes, procurement restrictions, delayed budget releases and financial bottlenecks controlled by higher authorities.
According to the BPU, Botswana’s medicine supply challenges are linked to multiple factors, including rigid procurement processes, delayed supplier payments, international supply chain disruptions and bureaucratic constraints affecting budgeting and approvals.
“Scapegoating a single civil servant or director for structural shortcomings that span multiple regulatory and financial layers is unfair, misleading and counterproductive,” the union said.
The organisation also defended the professional suitability of pharmacists to lead CMS, rejecting suggestions that individuals with procurement-only backgrounds would be better positioned to manage the national medicines supply chain.
The union said medicine management requires specialised pharmaceutical knowledge beyond purchasing functions, including medicine regulation, pharmacovigilance, cold-chain management, storage standards, quality assurance and therapeutic substitution.
“Managing a national health supply chain is not merely an administrative purchasing exercise; it requires specialised clinical and technical knowledge,” BPU said.
It further argued that blaming CMS leadership for national shortages ignores the wider administrative environment within which the institution operates, including lengthy approval processes, procurement restrictions, delayed budget releases and financial bottlenecks controlled by higher authorities.
The union has demanded an immediate and unconditional public apology from Jacobs to the Acting CMS Director, healthcare professionals and the public.
Failure to apologise, the BPU warned, would result in the union petitioning the Speaker of the National Assembly to intervene and consider disciplinary measures against the legislator.
The union also called on parliamentary authorities to enforce higher standards of conduct during committee proceedings, arguing that oversight processes should focus on policy failures and solutions rather than personal attacks.
“The delivery of quality healthcare requires collective responsibility, constructive dialogue and mutual respect,” the BPU said, adding that healthcare workers continue to serve under difficult conditions despite systemic challenges.
