The number of people accessing legal abortion services in Rwanda rose by 45.5 per cent to about 3,200 in the 2025/2026 fiscal year, up from an estimated 2,200 annually before June 2025.
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Dr François Regis Cyiza, Director of Child and Maternal Health Programmes at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) said the increase followed changes to the law and a ministerial order that expanded the range of health facilities permitted to provide the service.
He was speaking during a meeting on the role of the media in raising awareness of youth sexual and reproductive health services and the 2025 law governing healthcare services, organised by the Network of Rwandan Parliamentarians on Population and Development (RPRPD) on Friday, October 9.
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Previously, legal abortion services were offered at public and private hospitals as well as polyclinics. The change in the law allowed health centres and clinics to provide similar services, increasing the number of facilities through which people can seek care.
Cyiza said some people who needed the service may previously have been unable to access it, partly because of the limited range of facilities offering it.
He said RBC has also been testing a model to extend access through health centres, where nurses work with doctors remotely using digital systems.
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Under the pilot, nurses screen patients and conduct the necessary tests before consulting doctors through the digital platform. This enables the service to be provided even when a doctor is not physically present at the health centre.
The research lasted one year and covered 43 health centres in Karongi, Ruhango, Rwamagana and Musanze districts, where about 900 people received the service.
"The pilot showed that the model was working well, and no negative effects were identified during its implementation. We are now planning to expand it nationwide,” Cyiza said.
Despite the progress, he said cultural and religious beliefs, alongside personal attitudes among some healthcare workers, could still affect service delivery, although he described such cases as few.
RBC said it is addressing the challenge through training healthcare workers to understand their responsibilities and examine how personal beliefs may influence their approach to providing the service.
Some health facilities operated by faith-based organisations do not provide the service because of their beliefs. In such cases, Cyiza said, patients are referred to nearby facilities where it is available.
MPs call for greater awareness
MP Jeannette Uwababyeyi, chairperson of RPRPD, said the network organised the discussion to strengthen the media's role in ensuring that young people understand reproductive health services, their importance and the laws governing access to medical care.
She said the network seeks to promote population growth that goes hand in hand with national development, arguing that early childbearing can disrupt education and limit young people's economic opportunities.
"If a 16-year-old has three children, continuing her education becomes difficult. Even if she returns to school later, some of her peers who continued studying may already have completed their education and entered the job market,” she said.
Uwababyeyi said visits by parliamentarians and RPRPD had revealed gaps in communication between parents and children, as well as barriers preventing young people from seeking reproductive health services.
Francis Nyamaswa, Coordinator of the National Youth Council, said adults should lead by example and help young people develop the values and right judgement needed to make responsible decisions.
He emphasised the importance of honesty, guidance from parents and teaching young people to make sound choices. He also said adults must demonstrate appropriate behaviour towards children rather than engage in conduct that puts them at risk.
"We need to guide young people through our own behaviour and set a good example for them to follow,” he said.
The discussion brought together journalists, parliamentarians, youth representatives and health officials to examine how the media can improve public understanding of reproductive health services and relevant laws.