Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) will next month launch an innovative digital system called KWIVUZA (Intelligent health benefits system) that promises to revolutionize medical insurance services in the country. The system has been under pilot for the past three months, starting with primary healthcare services such as health posts and health centers. ALSO READ: Mutuelle de Sante: Government to start paying health centres in advance KWIVUZA is one of the many innovations planned in the RSSB 2020-2025 strategic plan aimed at transforming RSSB into a data-driven, high performing organization by 2025. The system currently covers Mutuelle de Santé (community-based health insurance) services, with plans to add RAMA (which covers 92 percent of the medically insured in the formal sector) and the upper levels of healthcare facilities by the end of the year. ALSO READ: Uganda MPs in Rwanda on health insurance benchmark tour According to Regis Rugemanshuro, RSSB CEO, KWIVUZA aims to streamline medical operations, fast track payment processes, and enable data-driven policy making and benefits packaging. The system has been thoroughly tested during the pilot phase, with positive feedback from the 30 health facilities that have been onboarded. KWIVUZA promises to deliver numerous benefits to stakeholders, including eliminating the need for paper and time-consuming steps at hospitals and pharmacies, speeding up the approval of services, and significantly improving cash flow and liquidity for health service providers. RSSB also stands to benefit from the platform's ability to reduce fraud associated with paper-based processes. With the roll-out of the current version set for April 1st, RSSB aims to receive 96 percent of Mutuelle de Santé invoices electronically by May 2023 as all medical facilities will be invoicing via the system. By August, the system will cover upper levels of healthcare, such as district and provincial hospitals, private hospitals, clinics, polyclinics, and pharmacies. For health service providers, payments for medical invoices will be made in a maximum of 15 days, compared to the previous 80-day period, significantly improving their cash flow and liquidity as they will no longer wait a long time to get paid.
