Rwanda’s Ambassador to Paris, Jacques Kabale yesterday delivered a key note speech on the country’s health progress at the 64th World Health Organisation (WHO) summit currently taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.
In his speech, Kabale said that despite Rwanda’s history which saw many professionals and structures destroyed, the country has achieved tremendous progress in the health sector.
These include the introduction of health community workers program, the expansion of the community health insurance (mutuelles de santé), and increasing maternal health services to the entire population.
According to his speech, the health insurance promoted Rwanda’s health from a lowest coverage of 3 percent in 2002 to 92 percent in 2010.
Ambassador Kabale added that under the committed leadership of the government of Rwanda,
the nation has geared progress in maternal and child health as well as in non communicable diseases has been attained.
As regards Rwanda’s health progress in the developing world, the official said that the decentralsation policy which is being implemented in Rwanda’s community has significantly promoted the ownership and effective participation of the population in decision making which has enabled efficient use of funds and increased service demand.
Rwanda’s Ambassador in Paris also said that the government has put emphasis on the integration of maternal and child health with other health services such as immunisation services, family planning, nutrition and HIV / AIDS care.
Kabale also pointed out that Rwanda since November 2010, provides ARV triple therapy prophylaxis to all HIV-infected pregnant women starting at 14 weeks of pregnancy.
Further, the summit’s theme which focuses on combating non communicable diseases, Kabale also said that Rwanda has taken a major step of vaccinating girls aged 10 to 14 years against HPV, the virus that
causes cervical cancer.
“It is also planned that from September 2011, Rwanda will conduct the cervical cancer screening in all women aged 35-45 years,” he added.
Part of the summit health officials from Rwanda are ; Coordinator of Maternal and Child health Dr Fidele Ngabo, Dr Jean Pierre Nyemazi from the Ministry of Health and Alphonse Kayitare from the
Embassy of Rwanda in Geneva-Switzerland.
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