NYAGATARE-Health workers in Nyagatare District have appealed to the government to consider including their parents in civil servants’ health insurance scheme, RAMA.

"Currently, a working person insured with RAMA is not allowed to insure his or her parents…but if the new policy allows, this will be a positive move in the health sector,” said one of the health workers.

The Director of Nyagatare Hospital, Dr. Ben Rukunda, suggested that the government could learn how the health insurance policy works elsewhere in developed countries.

"In European countries, when a civil servant retires, the government takes immediate charge of him…if it is not the case in our country, then such a health policy that allows someone to include his parents in the insurance can be helpful,” he said. 

The health workers were discussing the new draft law on health insurance in the country with members of Parliamentary Commission on Unity, Human Rights and Fight against Genocide in Nyagatare District.

According to the Commission’s vice president, Francoise Mukayisenga, the lawmakers are moving across the country collecting views on how to design the health insurance scheme and evaluate the status of the current one.

"There has been tremendous progress by Rwandans in adopting the health insurance system, but service delivery in the sector is still a burden. This is what we want to transform in the new draft law,” she said.

She added that the commission would advocate for all hospitals to get adequate medical staff to attend to the growing number of patients.

In recent days, residents had complained of poor service delivery at Nyagatare Hospital. However, Mukayisenga blamed the poor services to inadequate staff in many hospitals.

"If all hospitals have enough staff, such cases can end. This is what we are looking into as lawmakers,” she noted. 

dan.ngabonziza@newtimes.co.rw