The Minister of Health has said that a plan, which seeks at least Rwf7.5 billion more financing for the community-based health insurance scheme, could be implemented in the upcoming fiscal year to adequately support people with disabilities in getting the needed prostheses and orthoses.

Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, made the disclosure during a session with the Senate Committee on Social Affairs and Human Rights on Wednesday, May 17.

The session was in line with an oversight activity through which the Committee is meeting with various entities in order to learn about health and education interventions offered to people with disabilities.

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A prosthesis is an artificial body part, such as a limb, used to replace a damaged part for the affected person.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), prostheses, such as artificial legs and hands, and orthoses, such as braces and splints, enable people with physical impairments or functional limitations to live healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives, and to participate in education, the labour market and social life.

Nsanzimana said a step had been taken under the community-based health insurance scheme – commonly known as Mutuelle de Santé – to ease access to prostheses and orthoses for people with disabilities, but not all of them are covered due to the limited resources of this scheme.

According to him, it was realized that if "expensive” prostheses and orthoses were included in the medical package covered by Mutuelle de Santé without additional funding, the scheme would not be able to even help its members get "basic medical services”.

The developed plan, Nsanzimana said, is to increase the financial capacity of Mutuelle de Santé for greater access to such medical devices for people with disabilities in different health facilities in the country.

"There is a plan that is in its final stage; we have been discussing it with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), and other ministries. All the concerned ministries have approved it,” he said, adding that the next stage would be implemented starting from the next fiscal year if given the go-ahead.

Currently, he said, the list had 32 prostheses and orthoses that are covered by Mutuelle de Santé, while 80 more will be added once approved for financing under the plan. He said that they include accommodative shoes, devices worn around the chest, knee, and arm prostheses.

"We need at least Rwf7.5 billion in the initial phase starting from 2023/2024 so that we are able to include in it [Mutuelle de Santé] a list of prostheses that we were not able to include thus far,” Nsanzimana said, referring to the cost of the plan execution.

"We will continue to add even more expensive prostheses and orthoses such that in 2030, we will need at least Rwf52 billion,’ he added.

So far, Nsanzimana said, the prostheses covered by Mutuelle de Santé are provided at three hospitals in the country: University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB) located in Southern Province, University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) and the Rwanda Military Hospital, both of which are located in Kigali.

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The National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) told senators during the session held on Tuesday, May 16, that the unavailability of prostheses at health facilities across the country was inconveniencing people with disabilities from distant places, who have to go to Kigali or Huye in Southern Province to be able to access them.

Also, the National Union of Disability Organisations in Rwanda (NUDOR) told senators during the same session that going to the few selected health facilities was resulting in long delays for people with disabilities to get the needed body assistive devices, because of the long patient waiting list.