The Ministry of Health on Monday, July 20 said that the government has spent $60 million (over Rwf54 billion) on combatting the Covid-19 pandemic since the first case of the virus was confirmed in Rwanda. This was disclosed in a press conference that brought together journalists, the Ministries of Health, Local Government, Trade and Industry, and Rwanda National Police to shed light on how the country is responding to Covid-19. Responding to how much money has been spent by the government in responding to the pandemic so far, the Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Ngamije, explained that the cost is as of now in millions of dollars. He said: “Combatting the virus has been very expensive to the government, considering the various things such as testing, isolating, treating, infrastructures and human resources among others that all require finances.” “The Government had projected spending $73 million in fighting the pandemic in a period of 6 months since March, and we have so far spent $60 million,” he said. The Minister also noted that the pandemic has not only affected the Government in terms of spending but also interfered with the sources of revenue. Rwanda so far has a total of 1,582 confirmed Covid-19 cases of whom 834 have recovered. Also, five people have so far succumbed to the pandemic.
