The government will spend approximately Rwf75 billion over the next four years on services aimed at improving the dignity and self-worth of elderly persons within the Rwandan society, The New Times has learnt.

According to the Rwanda labour law, elderly persons are those aged above 65 years.

The funds will be spent on implementing a detailed strategic plan that is part of the new policy on the elderly which was approved by the Cabinet on Monday May 31.

The budget

The plan is split in four parts and they include creating awareness among the community members as to ensure physical, economic and psychological preparedness for older persons (taking approximately Rwf107m) plus improving health and quality of life of older persons (Rwf60bn).

The additional programmes include promoting positive values for intergenerational relationships (Rwf673m) and providing older persons with protection and care through appropriate support services which has been allocated Rwf14bn.

The bigger chunk of the funds will go towards health to fix different issues, mainly mitigating the growing burden of non-communicable or chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes among the elderly.

Figures released last week by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) indicate that total of 32,609 people (22,634 men and 9,975 women) passed away in 2020, the causes of death are dominated by communicable diseases at 62.3 per cent, especially among people over 55.

Although 87 per cent of older people in Rwanda are covered by Community Based Health Insurance commonly known as ‘Mutuelle de Santé’, those under Ubudehe 1 who are meant to be provided with free cover are often more likely to be excluded and left uncovered. This strategic plan hopes to fix that.

Optimise the elderly

Last year, as members of parliament discussed the draft law regarding the ratification of additional protocol to African Charter on human and people’s rights on rights of older persons in Africa, MP John Ruku-Rwabyoma was one of the parliamentarians pushing the government to expedite the establishment of the policy on the elderly.

Speaking to The New Times on Wednesday, Rwabyoma said that the policy is timely and instrumental and will foster the utilisation of skills and expertise the elderly have amassed over their years of service.

"This is a step in the right direction. We are too busy and at times unfit to provide timely services to our elderly. With this policy and its guidelines, we are good to go in filling those gaps. We desperately need professionals in this field to address their needs because they are a very valuable part of our society,” he said.

The chairperson of the Rwanda Pensioners Association Dorothée Uwimana said in an interview that they were ‘excited’ about the new policy since they have been waiting for it for years.

"We are grateful because this policy comes in to fix very many challenges. We were representing the elderly but we had no documented basis to make our case and this was making our advocacy work very difficult yet there is a lot that the elderly need to live more fulfilled lives,” she said.

Reacting to the approval of the policy, the Director of ‘Nsindagiza’, a civil society organisation striving for the welfare of the elderly, Ellie Mugabowishema, said that this is an important step towards further improving human rights in Rwanda.

He said this is proof that Rwanda was fully committed to ensuring the full delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals which can only be done if no one has been left behind.

He explained that although there are some programmes that support the elderly, having no policy in place was frustrating for most stakeholders.

"The assumption is that elderly people are loved and respected and because of that, there are not many written laws or policies protecting them. Without a written document, there is no basis. This is an important step,” he said.

He commended the government for involving organisations like his and other elderly persons every step of the way, adding that this would make implementation of the policy plan easier.

He added that the government’s commitment can be felt in not only the planning and the budgeting.

"When you look at the budget, this money when split into four years is about Rwf18bn. You cannot say that you value something and not plan and budget for it. The fact that there is a strategic plan and a budget means that the government is taking this seriously,” he said.

According to NISR, there are an estimated 707,000 old people in Rwanda.