Ministry of Health is currently in negotiations with Rwanda Social Security Fund to start offering cancer drugs on community-based health insurance to widen universal healthcare coverage.

Though the exact dates are yet to be determined, a decision will be made in the coming months.

While cancer drugs are currently offered free of charge only to patients admitted to Butaro Cancer Centre and Rwanda Cancer Centre at Kanombe Military Hospital, the government said it has mobilized more funds to fund the scheme.

This comes at a time when patients have been struggling to access chronic illness drugs on the Mutuelle de Santé insurance.

However, the government has mobilised additional resources from the recent extra fees charged on parking fees, tourism revenues and employees’ earnings to support the scheme.

It also includes the Rwf4, 000 paid per hectare of marshland, Rwf5, 000 per hectare of hillside and Rwf2, 000 per hectare of radical terraces collected by beneficiary District.

“In early June, we will start to provide cancer drugs on Mutuelle de santé users to help even those who couldn’t afford to be admitted at cancer centres for free mediation,” Dr Francois Uwinkindi, director of non-communicable diseases at Rwanda Biomedical Centre told Rwanda Today.

“Cancer medication on mutuelle de santé will be provided over the counter at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB), Kanombe Military Hospital, King Faisal Hospital, Butaro Cancer Centre and Rwanda Cancer Centre in Kigali,” says Dr Uwinkindi.

“Many patients who could not make it to the competitive list for free treatment have been suffering to manage the cost of the drugs from their pockets, but now there is hope they will be paying 10 per cent of the total cost, even though there still those who cannot even afford to pay the subsidized cost," says Dr Uwinkindi.

Dr Uwinkindi said that though cancer drugs are provided free of charge at Butaro Cancer Centre and Rwanda Cancer Centre, many patients miss out out on the list of those to get drugs, yet they can purchase it on the insurance.