Health minister Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana on January 22 told lawmakers that the government is exploring ways to put the country’s 58,567 community health workers (CHWs), the champions of primary healthcare across the country, into Muganga SACCO, a savings and credit cooperative for health professionals in Rwanda. WATCH: Health Minister Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana tells MPs the government is exploring ways for 58,000 community health workers to join Muganga SACCO, boosting their access to savings and low-rate loans. pic.twitter.com/s0GqwW2UqI — The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) January 22, 2025 The minister announced the proposal of putting community health workers into the Muganga SACCO arrangement while appearing before the Lower House's Committee on Governance and Gender Affairs as lawmakers examined issues in the 2023/2024 report by the Office of the Ombudsman. ALSO READ: Kagame mulls remuneration of community health workers The savings and credit cooperative’s primary objective is to enhance members’ socio-economic condition and promote access to finance by helping them save, and providing access to low-interest loans. Mid last year, President Paul Kagame said that the government will find ways to remunerate community health workers and improve their livelihoods. ALSO READ: Community health workers to start screening high blood pressure Here are the key reasons the minister highlighted: 1. Regulation of cooperatives The Minister said, “the CHW cooperatives have common problems like other cooperatives, but they will transition towards a more formal structure, governed by the rules and regulations that regulate SACCOs.” “Financial management experts will be involved, unlike before. Now, those who might default can be identified earlier and followed up,” he added. ALSO READ: Community health workers: Facilitating the growth of Rwanda’s health sector “We are not planning to end the cooperatives or replace them with SACCO. We are simply improving them.” The minister said that it is not mandatory for community health workers to join the cooperative, but they could miss out on opportunities provided by the government if they don't belong to any. Aloysia Uwimana, a community health worker in Byimana Village, Kitajigurwa Cell, Muhazi Sector, in Rwamagana District, told The New Times that every month, she contributes Rwf1,000 to the community health workers’ cooperative in her sector, hoping that it will help “improve our lives in one way or another.” However, she acknowledged, the 84 community health workers in the cooperative are always worried that the cooperative officials might misuse, or even embezzle, the funds “we are working so hard to save.” She added: “If Muganga SACCO could step in and help us manage the cooperative’s funds, it would be a huge relief for all of us. We would have more confidence in how the money is being handled, and it would help us become more professional in the way we work. “We would learn how to manage funds better and ensure they are put to good use for the benefit of everyone involved. This kind of support would really change things for us, making our work more organized and ensuring that our contributions are safe and secure.” 2. Growing Muganga SACCO The Minister explained that it would be helpful if Muganga SACCO gained more members. He added that the Board of Muganga SACCO has been reviewing the plan, and it has been deemed beneficial for community health workers and for Muganga SACCO too, as the latter will gain more members. “The experts in financial management showed that this will lead to better outcomes,” he said. Muganga SACCO currently boasts more than 13,000 members including health workers at health facilities and different institutions in the health sector, in public and private institutions. Claudine Uwambayingabire, the Director General of Muganga SACCO, told The New Times that: Every new member represents growth for an institution, even if it’s just one member.” For a financial cooperative like Muganga SACCO, he said, membership growth is a vital measure of success, as new members contribute to increased business and transactions. “Such a significant addition not only drives the institution’s growth and sustainability but also advances our mission of empowering health professionals across the sector. 3. Motivation Nsanzimana stressed that community health workers “play a crucial role in the health sector and are the backbone” of the health system. He added that they manage various diseases, including an increasing number of non-communicable diseases, which they are now trained to screen. ALSO READ: Nyabihu community health workers get smart phones to ease work The minister said: “We expect them to continue screening for high blood pressure, helping people get treated before the condition worsens. They will also aid in preventing diseases caused by high sugar levels, like diabetes.” “We constantly ask ourselves how we can support community health workers to continue working happily, which is why we want to strengthen their cooperatives by allowing them to join Muganga SACCO.” 4. Welfare improvement As one of the primary objectives of financial institutions like SACCO is to allow the members to access low-interest loans, the community health workers are set to get loans on low-interest loans. Nsanzimana said that joining the bigger health professionals’ savings and credit cooperative will enable community health workers to access loans to improve their welfare. “Those who need medical services, want to renovate their houses, or send their children to school will have the financial means to do so, and it will bring them significant benefits.” According to Uwimana, if they join Muganga SACCO, “we would have the chance to access loans at lower interest rates.” She said: “Right now, it’s challenging for us to get loans, especially under more favourable conditions. But with Muganga SACCO’s support, we could, perhaps, get loans at much more affordable rates. It would allow us to improve our well-being, as we would have the capital to start businesses or invest in other opportunities. “We could grow financially, support our families, and generally improve our quality of life. It would be a real game changer for us, not only in terms of securing our cooperative’s funds but also in terms of gaining access to financial services that could help us prosper.”