BUFMAR, a joint faith-based and non-profit organisation, on October 17, celebrated 50 years of positive impact in Rwanda’s healthcare system. The Golden Jubilee celebration that took place at Kigali Marriott Hotel provided a platform to reflect on BUFMAR’s journey, celebrate its achievements, reaffirm its mission, and outline a renewed vision for continued collaboration with the Government, international partners, and member churches. The organisation was founded by Christian denominations working in Rwanda who are active in the health sector, and play a pivotal role in healthcare delivery through pharmaceutical supply and capacity-building. Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, the Minister of Health, commended the Authorized Medical Training Center's (BUFMAR) role in the health sector, particularly for its contribution to the increase in life expectancy. “Life expectancy used to be 45 years, but now it stands at an average of 70... pic.twitter.com/Y7D2cBpG4v — The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) October 17, 2025 Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health, commended BUFMAR’s role in the health sector, particularly in contributing to the increase in life expectancy for the past five decades. “Before BUFMAR’s inception, life expectancy used to be 45 years, but now it stands at an average of 70 years and above. Moving from 45 to 70 means that mothers are no longer dying while giving birth, and children are no longer dying prematurely because they now have access to essential health services. That’s why it’s important to highlight the progress in life expectancy,” he noted. Dr Nsanzimana highlighted that in 2000, approximately 1,000 mothers out of every 100,000 were dying during childbirth. Currently, in Rwanda, about 500,000 mothers give birth every year, which equals the number of children born. Today, that number has dropped to 105 deaths per 100,000 births. This progress wouldn’t have been possible without the contribution of partners like BUFMAR,” he said. “Our goal for 2028 is to reduce the number to between 50 and 70. If we can bring it below 100, that means the remaining cases are special ones that can be managed through our ongoing 4x4 programme, which aims to equip doctors with modern, cost-effective equipment and affordable medicine accessible to everyone. That’s where your role comes in and that is to help us further reduce those numbers.” Within the national health supply chain, BUFMAR functions under a partnership framework with the Ministry of Health (MoH) through Rwanda Medical Supply Ltd (RMS), making it one of the three national actors officially designated to procure and distribute essential and specialised medical products to the public hospitals and health centres across the country. Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health, and BUFMAR’s Board of Directors cut a cake to celebrate the Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years of impactful service in #Rwanda’s medical supply chain. BUFMAR unites 23 faith-based Christian member churches that support a network of 163... pic.twitter.com/VR4iFyxQNd — The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) October 17, 2025 It unites 23 faith-based Christian member churches that support a network of 163 health facilities across the country, including 18 hospitals and 145 health centres, which have been at the forefront of providing medical equipment, consumables, pharmaceuticals, and official medical preparations. They also offer a variety of training courses, including first aid training, basic life support (BLS) training, advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) training and emergency medical technician (EMT). The Minister tasked the organisation to continue being at the forefront of health service delivery by ensuring timely and cost-effective operations. He emphasized that BUFMAR’s core values should go beyond distribution to saving lives. “We want more collaboration with other medical supply stores and to do more than what is expected. Five African countries have already requested partnerships with Rwanda for medicine distribution. Most of these countries lack adequate medical stores and suppliers. As BUFMAR, should we only supply within Rwanda, or can we expand beyond? Let’s consider it, as it would make Rwanda more reliable and part of regional health solutions,” he said. “We can produce our own medicines and supply them both within Rwanda and beyond through local manufacturing. This has already begun. The best example being our locally produced syringes in Rwamagana District by TKMD Rwanda, which are now distributed in over 14 African countries. That’s a big achievement and proves it’s possible. We shouldn’t continue relying on imports, as we also need to preserve foreign currency, which impacts our economy,” he added. Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, Archbishop of #Kigali and a board member of BUFMAR, said that 50 years holds great significance for both the beneficiaries and the founders. “Every person must have a healthy soul in a healthy body. To our fellow believers, we wish good health and... pic.twitter.com/2y0lHH2ZBL — The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) October 17, 2025 H.E Antoine Cardinal Kambanda Archbishop of Kigali, said that 50 years holds great significance for both the beneficiaries and the founders. “Every person must have a healthy soul in a healthy body. To our fellow believers, we wish good health and spiritual well-being. We take inspiration from Jesus the Messiah, who preached the good news while also healing,” he said. “This is an inter-church organisation, meaning that almost all churches have been working together for 50 years to ensure that people receive medical care, get medicines on time and at affordable prices, and that health workers have the necessary equipment and other support. It’s something to celebrate—that churches have contributed to health services for such a long time,” he said. The Archbishop of Kigali said that while the organisation is celebrating its jubilee, it still faces challenges such as the need for hospital consolidation and strengthening its capacity in medical distribution, issues that the Ministry of Health should address. Monique Gahongayire, Director General of BUFMAR, said that they serve not only church members but all Rwandans. She added that they celebrate the unity among churches, emphasizing that instead of focusing on differences, they chose to work together to achieve common goals. Gahongayire noted that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi marked a turning point when everything fell apart. Afterwards, BUFMAR redefined its mission to align with the country’s health reconstruction and development goals. “The main challenge we currently face is importing products because we do not manufacture what we distribute ourselves. As advised, we are now looking for ways to collaborate with different institutions to establish factories that can produce some of the items we currently import. In the next five or ten years, we might be celebrating that milestone,” she said. She ended her speech by thanking HE First Lady Jeannette Kagame for her support and wishes sent to the BUFMAR family.
