Rwanda

Strengthening one of Africa's leading health systems

For two decades, MSH has partnered with the Government of Rwanda to strengthen the systems that make high-quality health care more accessible, equitable, and sustainable.

Working alongside the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Rwanda Social Security Board, Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, district leaders, and national institutions, MSH has helped strengthen health financing, workforce planning, pharmaceutical regulation, digital health systems, and performance improvement. Today, our partnership supports Rwanda's Vision 2050 by helping build a smarter, more resilient health system that continues to improve quality, efficiency, and universal access to care.

MSH in Rwanda

Strengthening systems that sustain progress

Rwanda has become a global example of how sustained investment in health systems can improve health outcomes while expanding equitable access to care. MSH has supported that progress by partnering with government institutions to strengthen the systems that underpin high-performing health services.

Working alongside the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Rwanda Social Security Board, Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, district health leaders, universities, and development partners, MSH helps strengthen leadership, health financing, workforce performance, digital transformation, pharmaceutical systems, and quality improvement. Together, these efforts help ensure Rwanda's health system remains resilient, responsive, and equipped to meet future challenges.

What We Do

Across Rwanda, MSH partners with national and local leaders to strengthen the systems that improve health today while preparing for tomorrow.

Increase equitable access to maternal and newborn health care

Assisting District Health Management Teams to close gaps in access to antenatal care and other key health services.

Improve quality of care

Institutionalizing national accreditation standards for hospitals and expanding innovative approaches, such as performance-based financing, to improve the quality of primary health care services.

Ensure medicines reach people

Streamlining pharmaceutical regulation and patient safety monitoring to ensure medicines and health products are safe, effective, and quality assured.

Contain infectious disease outbreaks

Strengthening integrated disease surveillance, public health emergency management skills, and infection prevention and control to rapidly detect and contain disease outbreaks.

Make health services more affordable

Establishing systems to improve community-based health insurance enrollment, equity, membership management, and program monitoring.

How We Work

Working alongside national and local institutions

MSH has worked in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Centre, District Health Management Teams, health workers, and other national and local leaders to strengthen resilient health systems that reliably deliver primary health care and lifesaving medicines while reducing out-of-pocket health expenses for households. Our focus on leadership and institutional capacity strengthening, innovative performance-based financing and community-based health insurance, health workforce retention, and safe, quality-assured medicines helps to expand people-centered, well-resourced, and sustainable health services for all.

Testimonials

“My main takeaway from this program is that it has made us more efficient in solving primary health issues and improved the quality of our work as health providers. The program helped us identify issues we didn’t know how to solve and strengthened our ability to plan and implement solutions.”

Primary Health Care Performance Management Activity Participant, Bugesera District, Rwanda

Featured Programs & Partnerships

Results-oriented Primary Health Care

Assisting District Health Management Teams to gain skills to set locally relevant goals, translate data into action, manage scarce resources, and sustain improvements in health services over time.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

Partnering with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre to improve disease surveillance, public health emergency management, and emergency operations centers—enabling more rapid detection and containment of disease outbreaks.

Expanding Universal Health Coverage

Supporting Rwanda to strengthen community-based health insurance systems, sustainable health financing, and equitable access to affordable health services.

Resilient Health Systems

Strengthening leadership and governance, sustainable health financing, quality of care, evidence-based decision making, and a mobilized, skilled workforce.

Modernizing Medicines Regulation

Assisting the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority to strengthen pharmaceutical regulation and management to streamline approval of new medicines, reduce substandard products in the market, and improve patient safety monitoring.

MSH Leadership in Rwanda

Anita Asiimwe, Portfolio Director, Program Planning and Management

“Rwanda’s improvements in health have made it a model for development in Africa. Aligned with the country’s Vision 2050, we look forward to continued partnership with the Rwandan Government as it expands universal access to affordable, high-quality health care for all.”

— Dr. Anita Asiimwe