Botswana appoints Dr Neo Tapela as new Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary
Dr Tapela holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Harvard University.
BOTSWANA—The Ministry of Health has appointed Dr Neo Tapela as its new Permanent Secretary, with the experienced health systems specialist reporting for duty on August 26.
She brings extensive local and international experience in health system strengthening, evidence-based policymaking, value-based healthcare transformation and the management of complex health programmes.
Extensive experience in Botswana
Dr Tapela has built a career spanning clinical practice, strategic leadership, monitoring and evaluation, and institutional reform.
She previously served as a Consultant Physician at Princess Marina Hospital, one of Botswana’s major public referral facilities.
Between 2014 and 2018, she also led the Ministry of Health’s Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Programme.
During this period, she championed Botswana’s first multisectoral NCD strategy and helped expand access to diabetes and hypertension services by supporting their decentralisation in line with World Health Organization recommendations.
Her work focused on strengthening the country’s response to chronic diseases and improving access to essential services beyond major referral hospitals.
This experience gave her a strong understanding of Botswana’s health system and the challenges involved in delivering services closer to communities.
International health leadership
Dr Tapela has also held several senior positions outside Botswana, where she worked on health programmes and systems in different settings.
She served as Chief Scientific Officer at an international non-profit organisation and as Director of the NCD Programme at Partners In Health in Rwanda.
In Rwanda, she played an important role in developing the Butaro Cancer Centre of Excellence, a pioneering facility established to expand access to cancer care in the country.
Her international work has therefore combined clinical expertise with programme development, health policy and health system improvement.
More recently, Dr Tapela worked as a Consultant at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters.
In this role, she contributed to the development of global monitoring standards and digital solutions aimed at improving quality, planning and accountability in chronic disease management.
Education and new responsibilities
Dr Tapela holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Harvard University.
She is also an Associate Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Green Templeton College.
As the Ministry of Health’s Accounting Officer, she assumes leadership at a significant period of health sector reform in Botswana.
The government is pursuing wide-ranging measures to strengthen the health system, including reforms to the National Health Insurance programme.
In her new position, Dr Tapela will oversee the Ministry’s operations while supporting efforts to improve the efficiency, responsiveness, and resilience of Botswana’s health system.
Her responsibilities will include guiding health sector priorities and supporting the implementation of reforms intended to improve health outcomes for people across the country.
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