In a video posted on his official Twitter account following the Global Conference on Primary Health Care held in Astana, Kazakhstan on October 25-26 this year, he says; “the results in Rwanda show how a strong primary healthcare programme can reap to improve healthcare outcomes.”
The conference had as a theme “to renew a commitment to primary health care to achieve universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.’’
“Rwanda’s health system has become a model for other nations to follow. The country’s example should inspire all leaders to renew their commitments to primary health care,’’ Bill Gates said in a tweet.
According to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s video reserved for the Global Conference on Primary Health Care, in 1994, there were only 96 doctors to serve a population of six million, meaning one doctor for every 63,000 people.’’
As the country emerged from the genocide, the Rwandan Government prioritized rebuilding its health system and after two decades since, it made remarkable progress.
Between 1995 and 2005, the number of community health workers increased from 12,000 to 45,000 in 2015.
Official numbers as per 2017 show that between 2010 and 2017, there were 45,516 community health workers who can treat 80% of sicknesses and treated over 900,000 sick people from 2010 2017.
In 2018, three community health workers including one dedicated to maternal health provide medical in every Rwandan village. These workers also provide database used at the national level to identify emerging problems, develop policies and ensure funds are used effectively.
Rwanda reduced its under 5 mortality rate from 195/1000 live births in 2000 to 39 /1000 in 2016 and 98% of children are receiving their basic vaccinations and every child is diagnosed and provided with vaccinations for pneumonia and malaria.
In 2015, Rwanda achieved the fifth among the Millennium Development Goals (MDG 5) which had two targets; to reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio and to achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health.
Rwanda is one of only nine countries to have achieved this goal of reducing their maternal mortality rates by at least 75% by 2015.
Bill Gates supports different health services programmes in Rwanda through his Foundation ‘Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’.
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