Rwanda's road to universal health coverage

Rwanda, a country known for its remarkable progress in healthcare and universal coverage for its citizens, continues to strengthen and advance its healthcare sector to meet future needs. In a recent interview with CNBC Africa, Parfait Uwaliraye, Head of Planning, M&E and Health Financing Department in Rwanda, highlighted the significant strides the country has made in achieving universal health coverage. Uwaliraye emphasized that universal health coverage revolves around providing access to services and financial protection. Over the past 28 years, Rwanda has made significant progress in improving access to healthcare. The average time to reach the nearest health facility has reduced from 90 minutes to 49 minutes, thanks to increased geographic accessibility and the expansion of health facilities from primary to tertiary care levels. On the financial front, the establishment of health insurance schemes, particularly community-based insurance, has ensured that more than 90% of Rwandans are covered by health insurance, reducing financial barriers to healthcare services and decreasing the reliance on out-of-pocket payments. The country has also focused on enhancing its health system inputs, such as human resources, infrastructure, and technology, to improve healthcare delivery. Investments in technology have been crucial in developing real-time data for decision-making and policy formulation. Rwanda's move towards digitalizing its health system aims to create a seamless patient experience with a unique patient identifier for continuous care. However, challenges persist, especially in addressing workforce shortages and achieving the World Health Organization's recommended health worker population density ratio by 2030. To bridge this gap, Rwanda is engaging in partnerships with various stakeholders, including the private sector, to expand training facilities, enhance pre-service training, and strengthen the pool of trainers for healthcare professionals. By investing in training programs and collaborations, Rwanda aims to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage by 2030.