Children Are Not Small Adults
Newborn and children's intensive care (neonatal and paediatric), children's surgery and childhood cancer care, planned on one campus with accommodation so a parent can stay near the bed. Opening 2029.
The units that treat children are built differently
When a newborn needs intensive care beyond what is available locally, the cost is not only clinical. One parent travels with the child and the rest of the family stays behind, work stops, and the expense of being in another city compounds for as long as the admission lasts.
Planned newborn and children's intensive care (neonatal and paediatric), children's surgery (paediatric) and childhood cancer care give a family somewhere to go when a child is seriously ill. A paediatric intensive-care specialist already sits on the clinical advisory team shaping how those units are specified, and accommodation on the campus means a mother can stay within walking distance of the cot.
The baby who arrives too early finds the newborn (neonatal) unit in the same building as the delivery suite.
What is planned for children here
Every service below is planned and subject to regulatory approval, and they are built to work as one team, because a child who needs a surgeon, an intensivist and an oncologist should not be moved between cities to meet all three.
Planned Services
- Neonatal intensive care for premature and critically ill newborns
- Children's intensive care (paediatric)
- Children's surgery (paediatric), including complex and day-case procedures
- Childhood cancer care within the integrated oncology service
- Maternity and high-risk pregnancy care (obstetrics) in the same building as the newborn (neonatal) unit
- Accommodation on the campus so a parent can stay near the bed
What this means for you
If your baby arrives early, the newborn (neonatal) unit is in the same building as the delivery suite. If your child needs surgery and then intensive care, both sit on one campus and nobody is transferred between hospitals to get from one to the other. If you have travelled to be here, there is somewhere on the campus to stay, so you are not choosing between being near your child and being able to afford the week.
Where each stage happens
The stages do not change. The distance between them does.
Today — Referral, Diagnosis, Treatment, Follow-up. Places: 2. Border crossings: 0.
From 2029 — Referral, Diagnosis, Treatment, Follow-up. One campus.
A catchment that reaches well beyond Botswana
Gaborone is about ninety minutes in the air from most of the region, which for a sick child is the difference between a transfer and an expedition. A child flown in is held to the same standard as a child who lives here, and the referring paediatrician receives them back with a discharge summary and a follow-up plan.
Talk to the clinical team
TEMCO is in development, with operations planned for 2029. If you are a parent planning care for a child, or a paediatrician who would refer one, the coordination team will be in touch as services come online.
The information provided on this page is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider. All services listed are planned and subject to regulatory approval. TEMCO Specialised General Hospital is expected to commence operations in 2029.