GABORONE, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Botswana is rolling out stopgap measures to cushion patients affected by the closure of civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that perform both prevention and treatment functions related to HIV/AIDS.

Christopher Nyanga, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said in a press release on Thursday that every effort will be made to provide these services as before.

"Fortunately, in some cases, some of these partners have been providing services within the public health facilities," said Nyanga, adding that it is unknown how long the CSOs and NGOs will be closed.

The ministry, therefore, advises the public and all clients who have been receiving services from these CSOs and NGOs to seek services from the nearest public health facilities, he said.

Meanwhile, Nyanga said the ministry is still consulting other stakeholders on how services like those for victims of gender-based violence will be alternatively provided. He said the government will issue more updates on developments and new initiatives.

Botswana has multiple CSOs and NGOs operating in the health sector that are directly affected by the decision to suspend support by the U.S. government. Enditem

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