The Ministry of Health together with partner organisations, on Tuesday, May 10, launched two second generation health posts in the remote Mishungero cell, Nyabimata sector and Cyanyirankoko cell, Kivu sector in Nyaruguru district.

Second-generation health posts provide a more expanded range of health services including ophthalmology, dental care and maternal and child health.

Such infrastructure is being established in various parts of the country with support from partners like the Society for Family Health Rwanda (SFH), Abbott, a global healthcare company, UNICEF Rwanda and SC Johnson.

The idea of second-generation health posts was introduced and tested in 2018 and officially launched in September 2019.

The implementation started as a pilot in the Bugesera district, where eight health posts were constructed and equipped with an improved and comprehensive service package that includes maternity services. 

These health posts are part of the Rwanda Universal Health Coverage programme to help bring accessible, affordable, and enhanced quality health care services to rural communities in Rwanda.

They aim at providing primary health care within a 30-minute walk of all Rwandans' homes as part of the efforts to improve patient outcomes and quality of life, while reducing the workload at higher levels of care, such as health centres and district hospitals.

Speaking at the launch of the two health posts opened in Nyaruguru on Tuesday, Tharcisse Mpunga, the Minister in charge of Primary Health Care noted that bringing health services closer to the citizens of Rwanda is something that the government is putting efforts into, aiming at having at least one health post in every cell in the country by 2024.

He added that the Ministry is looking at taking the services of the Community Health Workers (CHWs) to the health post level as a way of continuing to make health services more accessible to citizens.

Minister Mpunga talks to patients who turn up for treatment at the health post in Nyaruguru District

Health posts offer outpatient care, child immunizations, growth monitoring for children under five years, antenatal care, as well as testing pregnant women for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis and malaria.

Mannaseh Gihana, the Executive Director of SFH said the establishment of such health posts is a testament to the importance of the collaboration of the government and partner institutions like SFH and Abbott among others.

According to a study by Brandeis University, since 2019, great strides have been made to improve geographical accessibility to healthcare services with the establishment of 1157 health posts and the population has benefited from reduced travel distance to reach health facilities and reduced financial related burden. 

Some of the findings from this study indicate that the second-generation health posts have significantly increased access to primary care by 1.83 additional outpatient visits per person per year.

They also make a substantial, favourable increase in the amount of curative outpatient care per person, especially for malaria and acute respiratory infections which can be potentially life-threatening. 

One of the two health posts inaugurated in Nyaruguru on Tuesday, May 10.

Second-generation health posts provide care for 63 per cent more patients, with more than 260,000 people receiving health services since inception.

20 per cent of the population in service areas – one in five people – are seeking healthcare services on a monthly basis, often for multiple diagnoses.

More than 62,000 people were screened for malaria, resulting in the treatment of more than 21,000 cases, including 14 per cent among children 5 years old and under.

Screening also alleviated more than 94,000 respiratory infections and resolved over 51,000 cases of intestinal parasites.

Patients wait for services at the newly inaugurated health post in Nyaruguru District on May 10

The new health posts are equipped with modern medical equipment that will facilitate service delivery. 

One of the donors who contributed in construction of the health posts during a tour in the compound in Nyaruguru District on May 10

Tharcisse Mpunga, the Minister in charge of Primary Health Care(2nd left) flanked by other officials during the inauguration of the health post in Nyaruguru District on May 10. Courtesy