Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) is Botswana’s oldest and one of the most important national referral hospitals, located in Gaborone, Botswana. It is the country’s main public hospital for the southern region and a key part of Botswana’s tertiary healthcare system.

Overview

• Location: Gaborone, Botswana (Central Business District area)
• Type: Public tertiary referral hospital
• Role: National referral hospital (southern Botswana hub)
• Established: 1966 (around Botswana’s independence period)
• Capacity: ~530+ beds (varies by ward expansion and service classification)

Role in Botswana’s health system

Princess Marina Hospital is a top-level referral hospital, especially for:

• Gaborone and surrounding districts
• Southern Botswana (Kweneng, South-East, Southern District, Kgalagadi regions)
• Complex referrals from district hospitals

It is often the first major referral point before SKMTH or specialised overseas treatment.

Key services

PMH provides a wide range of tertiary and specialist services, including:

• Emergency and trauma care (24/7 casualty)
• Internal medicine and specialist clinics
• Cardiology and renal services (including dialysis support)
• Paediatrics and neonatal care (NICU)
• Obstetrics and high-risk maternity care
• Orthopaedics and general surgery
• Laboratory and diagnostic pathology services
• Radiology (X-ray, CT scan services)
• HIV/AIDS and TB treatment programs
• Specialist outpatient clinics

Teaching and training role

Princess Marina Hospital is also a training hospital, supporting:

• Medical interns and doctors
• Nursing and midwifery training
• Clinical rotations for University of Botswana health students

It plays a major role in building Botswana’s healthcare workforce.

Relationship with SKMTH

• PMH = older central referral hospital (southern hub)
• SKMTH = newer, more advanced teaching hospital

They work together as Botswana’s two main tertiary hospitals in Gaborone:

• PMH handles high-volume general specialist care
• SKMTH handles more advanced subspecialties and teaching focus

Simple summary

Think of Princess Marina Hospital as:

Botswana’s historic central referral hospital and main public hospital for the southern region