By Doreen Karungi
As Rwanda celebrates 25 years since the inception of Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI), the Minister of Health, Sabin Nsanzimana, has praised the program’s revolutionary effect on the accessibility of healthcare and urged the need to further strengthen it.
For the last two and a half decades, the community based health insurance, commonly referred to as Mutuelle de Santé, has greatly expanded. What was initially a program aimed at improving access to primary healthcare has now grown into a comprehensive program that covers complicated and expensive medical conditions. “Today, serious illnesses such as cancer, kidney diseases, advanced heart conditions requiring interventional cardiology, neurosurgical procedures, and orthopedic surgeries are covered under Mutuelle,” Dr. Nsanzimana says
He added that the contribution of citizens to the program is vital in ensuring that access to healthcare is maintained. The health insurance program not only allows Rwandans to access healthcare when they need it, but it also helps health facilities purchase expensive medications and medical equipment without straining their budgets.
With the benefits package continually expanding and the increasing demand for specialized healthcare, the Minister emphasized the need to strengthen the financial and operational capacity of the scheme. “The time has come to further strengthen Mutuelle so that we can continue building the resilient, high quality health system we aspire to one that delivers reliable services to every Rwandan,” he says.
Rwanda rolled out the Community Based Health Insurance in 2001 to ensure equitable access to health care services based on income contribution. Twenty five years since its inception, CBHI remains a key component of the country’s health system that now needs to be strengthened to address the changing health needs of the population.
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