About 200 health posts across the country have been found to be poorly located, with their infrastructure now under consideration for alternative use, Health Minister Dr Sabin Nsanzimana has said. ALSO READ: Minister highlights growing importance of health posts in Rwanda He shed light on the situation this week during a session with the Parliamentary Committee on Governance and Gender Affairs, which was reviewing concerns raised in the 2024/2025 report by the Rwanda Governance Board. Nsanzimana said the affected health posts account for nearly 10 per cent of all such facilities nationwide and were largely established in areas where demand for services is low. “These health posts were introduced around 2015, at a time when districts had targets to meet. However, some key considerations were overlooked,” he said. ALSO READ: Private sector urged to invest in health posts He noted that, ideally, such facilities should have been established by private investors after assessing the viability and need for services in specific locations. “That assessment was not properly done. As a result, some health posts were built far from population centres, while others were set up too close to existing health centres, which made them redundant,” he explained. ALSO READ: Govt expands eye, dental care at second-generation health posts Following an assessment by the Ministry of Health, standards have since been revised to guide the establishment of health posts and avoid similar challenges in the future. “For those that were found to be misplaced, we are working with districts to identify alternative uses. They can be turned into ECD centres, youth centres or libraries so that the infrastructure does not go to waste,” Nsanzimana said. He added that another category of health posts remains operational but is struggling to stay financially sustainable, noting that these will not be phased out but will instead be supported through faster reimbursement processes. “Some operators faced delays in reimbursement for medicines by insurance schemes, prompting them to abandon the facilities, with others who came in later encountering the same challenges and also leaving,” he said. According to the minister, delays in payments from the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) have significantly reduced, from 61 days to about 17 days, improving cash flow for operators. However, he noted that some delays persist at the verification stage, although progress is being made. Staff shortages have also affected service delivery, though the situation is expected to improve with the increasing number of associate nurses graduating from training institutions. On medicine supply, Nsanzimana said some health posts faced logistical challenges, particularly those in hard-to-reach areas. Diana Mutoni, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Medical Supply, said measures have been put in place to improve distribution. “We are using motorcycles equipped with containers to deliver medicines to health posts more efficiently, especially since they require relatively small quantities,” she said. She added that the approach, implemented in partnership with a private company, is helping to ensure timely delivery of essential supplies.
