Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning announced that subscribers to the community-based health insurance scheme, Mutuelle de Sante, are eligible for medical treatment as soon as they pay their health insurance premiums.

This removes the mandatory one-month wait which subscribers had to endure between making the payments and accessing medical services at hospitals.  

The announcement was made on Wednesday, April 22. The move is aimed at facilitating Rwandans to easily access medical services, especially during the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown put in place to contain the spread of this virus.

The medical insurance year starts in July, meaning this is when subscribers start baying premiums for the following year. 

The latest announcement was based on the decisions of the Cabinet meeting held on March 6th, which directed that Rwandans must have easy access to healthcare. 

Mutuelle de Santé is the most common health insurance plan for Rwandans, covering at least 9.6 million people, especially those living in rural areas. 

The year-long premiums cost between Rwf3,000 and 7,000 per family member depending on the economic status of the family while the government pays the premiums for the most vulnerable members.

Medical services are among essential services that are allowed to continue operating even during lockdown. Rwanda has been under lockdown since March 21st. 84 recoveries and 66 active cases were recorded so far, as of April Wednesday 22nd. The lockdown is expected to run up until April 30.