The Ministry of Health in partnership with USAID Rwanda anticipates the launch of the ‘500 Midwifery Scholarship Program’ through the USAID Ireme project implemented by Management Sciences for Health (MSH). This programme aims to address the shortage of healthcare professionals in Rwanda, focusing on midwives.
The midwifery scholarship programme will provide 500 bursaries across three teaching institutions including; the University Catholique de Kabgayi (98 students), East African Christian College (240 students), and Kibogora Polytechnique (162 students).
ALSO READ: Rwanda has a shortage of 1,000 midwives - Minister Nsanzimana
The scholarship programme will launch on Tuesday, March 19, during the ongoing five-day MSH Global Leadership Conference themed ‘Local Roots, Global Impact.’
Speaking to the Minister of Health, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, during the conference on Monday, March 18, he highlighted that MSH has been collaborating with the government for many years.
"Hosting their meeting in Rwanda is important and reflects the organisation’s ongoing programmes in Rwanda’s healthcare sector. What is noteworthy is that in recent days, there have been discussions between MSH and us on how to sustain our collaboration for the next five years, aligning with healthcare sector priorities, particularly in quadrupling medical practitioner training,” he said.
Nsanzimana noted that MSH prioritises the long-term priority of training medical personnel (midwives, nurses, and doctors). In this area, collaboration is essential – they also contribute to strengthening health systems, including training and hospital construction, significantly impacting the country.
Additionally, he said, "We embarked on a joint project three months ago, slated to continue for five years. Although Rwanda currently has 1,200 midwives, we aim to quadruple this number.”
ALSO READ: Strengthen initiatives to train more midwives
The programme is aligned with the government’s visionary 4x4 strategy, which seeks to quadruple the healthcare workforce within four years. By investing in midwifery education, USAID Ireme and the government target to improve maternal and new-born health outcomes, thus contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages).
Dr Anita Asiimwe, MSH’s Chief of Party of the USAID Ireme project in Rwanda, explained that MSH operates in numerous countries, partnering with the Ministry of Health in Rwanda to enhance medical personnel capacity, leadership, and governance from the health centre to ministry levels.
"We collaborate on health financing to ensure universal access to medical services for all Rwandans. Our initiatives benefit health centres and posts, contributing to global health measures, particularly SDG 3. Our primary focus is to improve people’s health, thereby enhancing their countries’ development prospects,” Asiimwe said.
Partnering with Rwanda
Marian Wentworth, President and CEO of MSH, a global NGO that is committed to strengthening health and delivering high-quality equitable healthcare solutions to various countries, commended Rwanda’s beauty and well-organised structure, stressing that the partnership is budding and the country has demonstrated many things to the world, especially the progress in the health sector.
She stressed that over time, Rwanda has strengthened its approach to health financing, built back its health workforce, and advanced systematised universal health coverage.
However, there is still a challenge with human resources for health. Ensuring appropriate resources is still a problem globally, Wentworth added.