Starting July 1, 2025, new medical tariffs will be implemented across health facilities, coinciding with the start of the 2025/2026 fiscal year, according to the Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana. The new tariffs will differ by facility type, from small health entities to university teaching hospitals,Nsanzimana told The New Times, without providing details. ALSO READ: Five things to know about Rwanda's revised medical tariffs Christian Ntakirutimana, Executive Secretary of the Rwanda Private Medical Facilities Association (RPMFA), stressed the need for a comprehensive and transparent review of medical tariffs to ensure they reflect current healthcare developments and associated costs. He said that a lack of official communication regarding when the revised tariffs will be published or start taking effect was making it difficult for stakeholders to plan effectively. Ntakirutimana pointed out that the current tariffs have been in use for eight years, despite repeated promises of updates that have not materialised. He underscored the urgency of publishing new tariffs, and warned that the ongoing delays are causing significant financial strain on private medical providers. ALSO READ: Private health facilities body appeals for review of medical tariffs Due to outdated tariffs that do not account for inflation or rising costs of equipment, medication, and personnel’s salaries, many private facilities have had to rely on bank loans and are now facing mounting debt, Ntakirutimana observed. “The delay is forcing private medical facilities to operate at a loss,” he said, indicating that they have to cover rent, staff salaries, and equipment purchases without the government subsidies that public institutions receive.” Ntakirutimana called for the establishment of an effective regular review mechanism to ensure tariffs are adjusted in line with economic realities, helping to shield private providers from financial instability. In response, Nsanzimana said “the tariffs will be revised every two years,” a reform aimed at addressing the concerns of private health facilities. ALSO READ: Revised medical tariffs to come into effect in July Regarding the increase in healthcare provision-related costs, data from RPMFA shows that, for instance, the average salary of a senior specialist doctor was Rwf1.5 million in 2017, but it doubled to Rwf3 million in 2023, while that of a registered nurse rose by 40 per cent, from Rwf250,000 to Rwf350,000. A minicap hemoglobin [one kit] saw its price more than triple to Rwf600,000 in 2023, from 189,600 in 2017, implying a more than two-fold increase. Minicap hemoglobin is designed for examining hemoglobin – the protein contained in red blood cells that is responsible for carrying oxygen from lungs to tissues and organs in the human body. Other equipment whose prices went up include a Minividas Immuno analyser (fully automated) – used for analysing antibodies and antigens in blood samples – whose cost rose to Rwf14.5 million in 2023, up from Rwf11 million in 2017. ALSO READ: Private medical body on why setting new medical tariffs is a matter of urgency On January 17, the Cabinet approved a revision of health service tariffs — the first update since 2017. The Ministry of Health stated that the outdated prices no longer align with the actual costs of healthcare services, given the government’s investments in modern medical equipment and infrastructure, and the rise in prices of drugs among other medical products. In public facilities, prices for advanced services such as medical imaging and radiology have been reduced in line with the tariff revision. For example, the ministry indicated that the cost of a CT brain scan for patients under the Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI), also known as Mutuelle de Santé, dropped from Rwf45,000 to Rwf16,283. CBHI members now pay a 10 per cent co-payment of Rwf1,628, down from Rwf4,500. CBHI remains the most widely used health insurance scheme in Rwanda, covering 93 per cent of the more than 11.5 million insured citizens — equivalent to over 10.6 million people, according to the seventh Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV 7) by the National Institute of Statistics Rwanda.
