The Ministry of Health is set to kick start a sensitisation campaign in a bid to increase health insurance subscriptions.

Though the country’s community health insurance subscriptions increased from 73 per cent in the fiscal year 2013/14 to 76 per cent for the fiscal year 2014/2015, about Rwf7 billion worth went uncollected in the current fiscal year, according to Ministry of Health officials.

"The inadequate collections affect the amount of money we send to run public health facilities, we believe with increase in subscriptions, more money will be available,” said Dr Agnes Binagwaho, the Minister of Health, during a news briefing in Kigali on Wednesday.

By 2010, subscription rate for mutuelle de sante stood at 91 per cent.

However, along the way, some mistakes were made that led to a decline in subscriptions and later forced government to commission a countrywide audit.

So far, several arrests have been made in Western and Eastern Provinces in connection with missmanagement of mutuelle funds.

At 76 per cent, Rwanda still tops the region in community health insurance coverage, followed by Burundi with 65 per cent, Kenya 32 per cent, Tanzania 19 per cent, while in Uganda it stands at less than 1 per cent.

The local scheme has been described as a key vehicle for achieving the country’s development agenda, by ensuring a healthy population.

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