Community health workers (CHWs) have welcomed a new initiative recently approved by the Government to provide free treatment for citizens who are diagnosed with malaria and cannot afford the healthcare-related costs.

Statistics indicate that about 1 million households will benefit from the initiative.

The health workers were speaking during the launch of a nationwide campaign against malaria on Wednesday.

The campaign was launched by the Minister for Health, Dr Diane Gashumba, in Huye District.

The campaign targets zero deaths from malaria in the country and will see officials from hospitals and health centres move to communities to work with CHWs to ensure the tropical disease is contained

Dr Gashumba said the free-treatment initiative will help reduce the number of deaths caused by malaria mainly because people delay to go to health centres to take the test.

She said the new campaign will ensure the decentralisation of services by hospitals and health centres where medics will go to communities to facilitate easy access to malaria treatment.

"Do your best so that no patient delays to get medical attention because we target zero malaria deaths. Providing free malaria treatment to vulnerable people will also help us have everyone access medical services,” she told the medics.

According to the health workers, some people especially from poor families would stay home because they feared they would not be able to meet the medical costs, not even the small percentage charged for those with community-based health insurance, Mutuelle de Sante.

"We have cases where such people fail to consult CHWs because they even lack Rwf200 that we charge. But following the cabinet decision, everyone is able to consult with us whenever they feel malaria signs,” said Jean Pierre Ndagijimana, a CHW from Rusatira Sector in Huye District.

According to Aimable Mbituyumuremyi, the division manager of malaria and other parasitic diseases at Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Huye recorded the most malaria cases (over 97,000) in the last 12 months.

Beatha Mitali, the director of Rusatira Health Centre, said at least 70 per cent of all patients that went to her facility this year were diagnosed with malaria.

Minister Gashumba urged the CHWs to reinforce their cooperatives which get support from the health ministry to ensure they benefit from their voluntary work.

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