REPUBLIC OF RWANDA                    Kigali, Dec 10, 2011
MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Press Release :MoH appreciates support from USG

Kigali - The Ministry of Health would like to clarify a story published in the Chronicles Newspaper issue no. 008/5th-11th Dec 2011 titled, "US responds to Minister Binagwaho’s criticism,’ which was captured in a wrong context.

The Author of the story plays around with figures and creates a false impression of discontent on the part of the Government of Rwanda, and the Health sector in particular, regarding the US Government’s support.

This is wrong.

The U.S. Government is a great friend of Rwanda and the major supporter of our Health sector. U.S. Government support has saved thousands of lives in Rwanda and strengthened our health system. By implying that we do not understand how the global economic crisis has impacted the global flow of aid—and U.S. Government support included —the article misleads your readers.

We commend Washington’s flexibility during this period of economic difficulties, having agreed to reorient funds to support some of our major strategies for sustainable health sector development. For example, the PEPFAR transition process allows all clinical services to be managed directly by the national system, which serves to strengthen district hospitals and support our decentralization efforts.

The article does not recognize our appreciation for this thoughtful and innovative support.

Friends may not agree 100% of the time, but we know that the U.S. Government is committed to working closely with us through this challenging period and will keep supporting us more with less, as President Obama said months ago.

The article ignores the tremendous achievements that we have made together, and the important discussions that are ongoing in order to sustain our success in the health sector, and embrace change to make more sustainable investments for better health. We all understand this, and Rwanda is up to the task.

MOH management
Minister of Health