In a bid to ensure improved healthcare services in private facilities, the Ministry of Health has announced plans to conduct quarterly inspection of the facilities.

This was announced, yesterday, during a meeting at King Faisal Hospital presided over by the Minister of Health, Dr Agnes Binagwaho.

Binagwaho later toured the hospital that now operates under a public private partnership arrangement.

"Inspection has always been limited to public health entities, but we are introducing it in private ones too,” Binagwaho said.

Areas to be given priority during inspection include clinical services, information management systems, staff welfare, physical infrastructure, among others, the minister said.

Binagwaho said the move would help reduce reliance on international firms for accreditation of local facilities.

Dr Theophile Dushime, the Director General of clinical services at the Ministry of Health, said the move aimed at improving customer care services in the sector.

"We are working hard to ensure improved customer care in private health entities and routine inspection would be a strong start,” he said.

Dr Emile Rwamasirabo, the CEO of King Faisal Hospital, welcomed the development, saying it would help improve service delivery.

Private health care scope

According to Rwanda Development Board (RDB), about $50 million worth of direct investments were made in private health care in 2014.

Rwanda currently has two fully private general referral hospitals; Croix du Sud, commonly known as Kwa Nyirinkwaya; and Polyclinique La Medicale, commonly known as Kwa-Kanimba, all in Kigali.

Recent years have also seen more specialised private hospitals open shop, for instance, in January 2013, one of the major global eye care centres, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital (from India) opened in Rwanda.

The $6 million facility handles complicated eye cases like retina surgery, hi-tech cataract surgery, glaucoma, paediatric ophthalmology and corneal transplantation.

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