Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) is seen as a way to promote universal health coverage and protect vulnerable populations from catastrophic financial effects of illness. Malaria can be such an illness is not treated in a timely manner, and having insurance can help prevent delays.

In countries including Rwanda, Burkina Faso and Senegal a particular CBHI scheme known as mutuelles has taken root. For Rwanda USAID (2018) reports that …

The 2014–2015 DHS showed that insurance coverage has remained stable since the 2010DHS and that 79 percent of the households have at least one family member with health insurance and that among those insured 97 percent have community health insurance (mutuelles). Early ANC attendance is also encouraged by providing targeted SBCC, combined with innovative community- and facility-level performance-based financing and high enrollment in community health insurance schemes (mutuelles). The MoH, with the support of partners, has worked to improve the quality of services for case management at health facilities through training and capacity building efforts at national and district levels.

A study looked at health care seeking for children below 5years of age in Rwanda in 2005 to 2010 and found that, “In both years,under-five children with Mutuelles were more likely to use medical care than uninsured children. Children in 2010 had a higher probability of using medical care … regardless of the children’s poverty or Mutuelles status.” The study provides an example of how pre-payment CBHI can not only increase universal health coverage but also address challenges of equity (Mejía-Guevara et al., 2015).

Below is a chart showing the fee structure in Rwanda (Tashobya, 2017). [The trainer should ask participants about fees for CBHIs or other national health insurance schemes in their countries if such exist and how participation in CHBI helps achieve UHC.]

Fees in Rwanda’s community insurance scheme, Mutuelles                                  
Ubudehe/Social Category Annual Rwandan Francs per Household Member Approximate US Dollars
1 0 (Paid by government) 0
2 2,000 2.25
3 3,000 3.35
4 4,000 7.85

Now The East African reports that, “With more than 90 per cent of Rwandans covered under the community-based health insurance scheme locally known as Mutuelle de Santé, Rwanda is one of the few developing countries in the world that have successfully achieved universal healthcare” (Kagire, 2018) This was achieved by addressing enrollment, quality of cane and transferring management of the scheme to the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB). Now more than ever, no one needs to die from malaria in Rwanda.

  • Kagire, Edmund (2018). Rwanda Has Achieved Universal Healthcare. The East African. 15 December 2018. https://allafrica.com/stories/201812150128.html
  • Mejía-Guevara I, Hill K, Subramanian SV, Lu C. (2015). Service availability and association between Mutuelles and medical care usage for under-five children in rural Rwanda: a statistical analysis with repeated cross-sectional data. BMJ Open. 2015 Sep 8;5(9):e008814. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008814.
  • Tashobya, Athan (2017). Mutuelle Month: Govt targets 100% subscription. The New Times. Published : April 03, 2017. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/210035
  • USAID/President’s Malaria Initiative (2018) Rwanda Malaria Operational Plan FY19. https://www.pmi.gov/docs/default-source/default-document-library/malaria-operational-plans/fy19/fy-2019-rwanda-malaria-operational-plan.pdf?sfvrsn=3