While various countries draw a path towards making health insurance work in Africa, Rwanda has been identified as one of the countries that have successfully implemented the policy in a practical way. During a workshop that was held in Accra, the achievements of Rwanda together with those of Ghana were used as good examples to show participating countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia that this service can indeed be delivered. According to Rwanda’s Health statistics, the national health insurance policy covers over 91 percent of the total population and is one of the major steps that were taken to ensure universal health. “We strongly believe that quality of care must continuously be a national priority. For this to happen, we need to focus on human resource development, building and sustaining ‘Mutuelles de Santé’ and reinforcing decentralization within the health sector,” Health Minister, Dr. Richard Sezibera once remarked. Of Ghana’s 23 million population, over 60 percent are registered with the health insurance scheme. Organized and sponsored by USAID’s Global Health Systems 20/20 Project and the World Bank in collaboration with the World Health Organization, International Labour Organization, and the Rockefeller Foundation, the workshop specifically focused on scaling up health insurance in Africa. Ends
