Rwanda’s Ministry of Health has launched the fifth Health Sector Strategic Plan to strengthen healthcare and achieve universal health coverage by 2030. Focus areas include workforce, infrastructure, quality care, and innovation, with a funding gap of 21%-32%.
The Ministry of Health in Rwanda has launched the fifth Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP V), aiming to enhance the country’s healthcare system and promote universal health coverage by 2030. This initiative aligns with Rwanda’s Vision 2050, the National Strategy for Transformation 2, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Developed through a collaborative process involving various stakeholders, HSSP V integrates comprehensive health data analysis and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic response. HSSP V is structured around five strategic pillars and two enabling factors, comprising 24 strategic objectives, 138 interventions, and 44 priority areas, with progress measured through 38 key performance indicators.
Key focuses include:
1. **Health Workforce Development**: The “4×4” reform aims to quadruple the number of healthcare workers by overhauling health education policies and enhancing career development.
2. **Health Infrastructure Modernization**: The plan emphasizes modernizing healthcare facilities, including the establishment of Kigali Health City and the construction of hospitals and health centers.
3. **Quality of Healthcare**: It seeks to improve healthcare quality by integrating services, addressing social determinants, and ensuring accessibility, focusing on six dimensions of quality.
4. **Health Security**: Strengthening health security through real-time disease surveillance and AI for outbreak detection is a priority, promoting a smart, integrated One Health system.
5. **Innovation and Digitalization**: HSSP V promotes biomanufacturing and local pharmaceutical production while fostering health innovation through technology. The plan also emphasizes health financing and governance to ensure sustainable investments, reducing reliance on external funding and enhancing stakeholder coordination.
Building on the successes of HSSP IV (2019–2024), notable achievements include a significant reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality, improved malaria prevention, and high immunization coverage. The estimated cost for implementing HSSP V ranges between RWF 5.9 trillion ($4.2 billion) and RWF 6.9 trillion ($4.9 billion), with a projected financing gap of 21% to 32% over five years. Monitoring will be facilitated through the Health Intelligence Center, ensuring accountability and strategic adjustments throughout implementation.
