Debts clearance critical for timely delivery of health insurance-medics

Ngoma/Rwamagana— Staff at Kibungo Hospital in Ngoma District have appealed to the district authorities to ensure timely clearance of health insurance bills if effective service delivery is to be achieved within the health sector. Paulette Magnifique, the hospital’s administrator, told The New Times that the district authorities are yet to clear unpaid bills amounting to over Rwf500 million from the grassroots health scheme ‘Mutuelle de Sante’ that have since accumulated over the last one year. The official warned that failure to clear this pending huge bill could further cripple the activities of the hospital. “The scheme is good enough if it is made sustainable. We contacted district officials, a year ago to address the issue, but up to now they haven’t settle the pending bill,” she said. It has since emerged that Rwamagana hospital is also affected by huge pending bills from the health insurance scheme. Jeannine Dusabe, an official at Rwamagana Hospital told The New Times that the district owes them over Rwf200million in unsettled bills. “We emphasise urgently settling the pending bills as such a payment would allows us to restock more medicine...we thus would like district officials in charge of Mutuelle de santé, to respond quickly to avoid further embarrassments,” she said. While acknowledging the challenge Nehemie Uwimana, the Mayor of Rwamagana district, however said that sectors in question make a disproportionately large number referrals which are equally to blame for the escalating bills now pending thus rendering it very difficult for district authorities to settle such bills. “It is true that unsettled bills are huge but I must point out that the reasons are obvious,” he said. Citing caesarean birth he added: “Imagine a situation where one pays only Rwf1000, but gets a service of Rwf50,000.” He suggested that at the moment the district was unable to pay the outstanding debt in question. He, however, expressed optimism that with the recent increase of Mutuelle de santé fee to Rwf3,000 per head the debts will be sorted out in due course. Kibungo and Rwamagana hospitals handle a population of at least 600,000 people. Ends