Health Sector – How next year’s Rwf 278 billion budget will be spent

from Rwanda The health sector has received more than Rwf 278.1 billion for the financial year 2022-2023 under the draft national budget currently before Parliament. The funds will be used to finance projects aimed at improving health care, officials said.

The disclosure was made on tuesday 31 mayduring the budget hearing where the Department of Health and six affiliated agencies were defending their budget priorities for the next fiscal year before the Parliamentary Committee for the National Budget and Heritage.

Compared to over Rwf 371.8 billion for the current financial year, which will end on June 30ththe health sector budget for next year has been cut by 25% or more than Rwf 93 billion.

According to Ministry of Finance and Economic Planningthe decline in sector allocation is partly due to the fact that the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic has diminished, which means that fewer resources will be deployed to fight the pandemic than last year.

Here are some of the activities and projects planned in the 2022/2023 budget in the health sector.

Subsidize the Mutuelle de Health

The government will spend more than 5.5 billion Rwandan francs for the transfer of Community health insurance (CBHI) to premiums Rwanda Social Security Authority (RSSB) for vulnerable people (men and women).

This action aims to subsidize the health care of the poorest citizens, who subscribe to the AMC commonly called Mutuelles de Health.

Zachee Iyakaremye, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health said that the government is making a contribution to Mutuelles de Health for the most needy people in the first category Ubudehe as they cannot afford it.

“Government will continue to support this action by donating Rwf2,000 for each eligible vulnerable person,” he said.

Funding of the IRCAD Rwanda project

The project to build a Digestive Cancer Research and Training Institute (IRCAD) in Rwanda has been allocated more than 4.1 billion in the next financial year.

Its construction began on September 17, 2019 and the deadline was July 3, 2022at a cost of more than Rwf 21 billion.

To date, Rwf 16.9 billion has been spent on the project.

Meanwhile, the completion and operationalization of IRCAD required Rwf 7 billion, but received Rwf 4.1 billion for the following year, implying a gap of Rwf 2.8 billion.

“If this gap is closed, it can help position our country well in terms of much-needed health care,” the MP said. Odette Ouwamariya.

Outpatient department at King Faisal Hospital

The construction works of a new outpatient service building and other renovation works for King Faisal Hospital was allocated Frw 2.7 billion.

This activity started on January 3, 2020 and it is expected to be completed on June 3, 2026 at a cost of Frw 13.5 billion. So far, Rwf 4.7 billion has been used to fund it.

Maternity and neonatology equipment

Iyakaremye said that the purchase of equipment for maternity and neonatal units in health facilities and ultrasound scanners have been allocated more than Rwf 2.1 billion.

“You realize that in various health facilities, when mothers give birth to premature babies, but neonatology is not working well, it contributes to infant deaths,” Iyakaremye said.

“That’s why we have planned the purchase of maternity equipment including the ultrasound machine used to monitor the growth of the fetus and identify any problems they may have so that they can be treated earlier,” he said. he declares.

Interior residual spray

Indoor Residue Spraying (IRS), an activity to fight Malaria, needed Rwf 4.7 billion for next year but received Rwf 2.9 billion. Consequently, it suffers from a funding gap of more than Rwf 1.8 billion.

deputy Odette Ouwamariya said that indoor residual spraying is important for the fight against malaria, indicating that the budget gap identified for this initiative should be filled.

MRI machine at the CHUB

As part of the financial plan, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine will be purchased for the CHUB. It is medical equipment with technology that produces detailed images of the organs and tissues of the body, to aid in the diagnosis of diseases. It is expected to cost around Frw 1.4 billion.

CHUB Director General Sabin Nsanzimana said MRI is important for this health facility located in District of Huye of Southern Provinceand even serves people from Western Province.

“We are grateful that MRI, a major piece of equipment that was missing, was included in the plan,” he said, noting that CHUB is the largest hospital serving the most people outside. Kigali– about four million.

Major issues requiring urgent attention

CHUB Director General Sabin Nsanzimana said the hospital has a wage gap of around Frw 492 million. [as the funding for its staff pay got over Rwf6.9 billion against the required over Rwf7.4 billion for the next year.]

“If we don’t get the necessary money, we won’t be able to provide medical services adequately, and there are medical workers that we won’t be able to employ, but those services that they would provide won’t can’t be stopped,” he said.

Finance Director of Rwanda FDA, George Ntaganda said that the authority as a relatively new entity which has recruited more workers to fulfill its responsibilities, has a salary budget gap amounting to Rwf 335 million.

“We want you to advocate for us on this issue,” he told MPs.

Copyright New Times. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source English press service