KIGALI, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan government has taken measures to achieve universal coverage of health-care by 2030, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a Rwandan senior health official said Monday in the capital city of Kigali.
The strategies put in place includes scaling up community-based health insurance program Mutelle de sante, whose coverage presently stands at 90 percent, said Jean-Pierre Nyemazi, permanent secretary at the Rwandan ministry of health, at the opening of a consultative meeting on health financing for universal health coverage in Rwanda.
According to him, Rwanda, in 15 years, has been able to develop a community-based health insurance system recognized for its achievements in terms of population coverage, service utilization and financial protection.
The government will continue to expand the network of community health workers at every village and serve as an essential link between the population and health-care facilities, Nyemazi said.
There are currently about 610 health posts across the country, but in partnership with other development partners, more efforts are being put to ensure that every cell has one, Rwandan health minister Diane Gashumba said earlier this month.
Achieving universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all, is among the health targets of SDGs.
UN proclaimed Dec. 12 as International Universal Health Coverage Day last year, which aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage with multi-stakeholder partners.
