Q&A: How Rwanda focused PEPFAR funds on 'people-centric, not
disease-centric' care
Published by Devex on June 11th, 2018
By Adva Saldinger
Agnes
Binagwaho, vice chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity and former
Rwanda minister of health. Photo by: Skoll Foundation
“WASHINGTON
— When the United
States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funds first arrived in Rwanda in
2004, the country had many people with little access to treatment. But the way
the government used the funds has created a lasting legacy for its health
system, in part due to the work of Agnes Binagwaho.
Binagwaho,
now vice chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity and former Rwanda minister of
health, is a strong advocate for countries using donor funds to further their
country plans. And while it wasn’t always easy, she worked for PEPFAR funds to
contribute to holistic improvements in Rwanda’s health system, rather than only
serving those with HIV/AIDS or going to build parallel systems, she told
Devex.”
Read the full article here: https://www.devex.com/news/q-a-how-rwanda-focused-pepfar-funds-on-people-centric-not-disease-centric-care-92918
LE POINT interview
Published by Metropole
Tele on April 23rd 2018
By Georges E. Allen
In
September 2015, Partners In Health took the first steps in realizing a
long-sought aspiration — to create a university that would advance the cause of
global health equity by training a new generation of transformational leaders
in health care.
Watch the full interview
here:
Q&A with Agnes
Binagwaho, Rwanda’s Former Minister of Health
Published by TEDMED Blog
on April 20, 2018
By TEDMED Staff
Dr.
Agnes Binagwaho leads a group discussion during the University of Global Health
Equity’s Global Health Delivery Leadership Program, a certificate course
conducted in partnership with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria. Photo by Zacharias Abubeker for UGHE.
“In
her 2017 TEDMED Talk, Rwanda’s former Minister of
Health, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, shed light on the experience of rebuilding
Rwanda’s health system after the devastating 1994 genocide. We talked with
Agnes to learn more about her past efforts and to find out what she’s working
on today.”
Un peu du Rwanda en Haïti
Published by Le
Nouvelliste on April 18, 2018
By Frantz Duval
“Son boubou, tenue
traditionnelle africaine, est éclatant. Beaucoup de vert et du jaune. C’est la
première chose que l’on voit d’elle.
Très vite, ses reparties
prennent le dessus. Sa bonne humeur contagieuse, ses idées claires et bien
articulées accrochent. Elle a un-je-ne-sais-quoi d’engageant.
Vous conversez deux
minutes avec elle, vous saisissez sans peine que vous avez
affaire à un leader et à une professeure de médecine.
En fait, on voit moins
le médecin, surtout l’acteur du changement, pas dans le domaine de la santé,
mais dans celui du développement au sens large. Elle vient du Rwanda, pays qui
a inventé une autre façon de faire. Elle l’explique très bien.
Ancienne ministre de la
Santé du Rwanda où elle a été aux affaires pendant plus de 14 ans dans la haute
administration, elle est aujourd’hui rectrice de University of
Global Health Equity (Université de la santé globale basée sur l’équité) et
c’est à ce titre qu’elle est de passage en Haïti.”
Read the full article
here: https://lenouvelliste.com/article/186248/agnes-binagwaho-apporte-un-peu-du-rwanda-en-haiti
Find similar articles
at:
The health science
missing in Rwanda, South Africa
Published by SciDev.Net
on February 21st, 2018
By Davison Mudzingwa,
Eric Murinzi, Ignatius Ssuuna
“Agnes Binagwaho: ‘The science of implementation is neglected’
She is a paediatrician and Rwanda’s former Minister of Health, widely
credited with transforming the country’s health system during a five-year term
that ended in the summer of 2016.
She
implemented a set of measures, such as universal health insurance and networks
of community workers, which added up to a system bringing impressive
gains in
indicators from AIDS life expectancy to malaria treatment rates.
She spoke to SciDev.Net this month in Kigali, where she is now
vice-chancellor at the University of Global Health Equity, about the role of
science and technology in bringing about the transformation.”
Read the full article
and watch the interview here: https://www.scidev.net/global/health/sponsored-content/the-health-science-missing-in-rwanda-south-africa.html
Global Health and how Trust and Equity is in the Heart of Everything
Published by the
University of Washington Department of Global Health on December 7, 2017
By
Maryska Valentine and Caroline Liou, Department of Global Health, UW
“It’s fair to say that Dr. Agnès Binagwaho — MD, M(Ped), PhD, Vice
Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), former Minister of
Health of Rwanda, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) — is
among the world’s foremost global health champions of our time. Dr. Agnès, as
she likes to be called, was recently in Seattle where she gave a talk for UW
students on “Transforming Global Health Through Education”. We had the chance
to talk global health with her and get her take on effective approaches to
global health and why health is key to development.”
Read the full article: https://globalhealth.washington.edu/news/2017/12/07/dr-agn-s-binagwaho-talks-global-health-and-how-trust-and-equity-heart-everything
Dr. Agnes Binagwaho on
Equity and Partners In Health
Published by Partners In Health Canada on December 4th, 2017
On May 17th, 2017,
Partners In Health Canada and Hart House at the University of Toronto hosted a
breakfast conversation with Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, co-founder and Vice Chancellor
of Partners in Health’s University of Global Health Equity and the Minister of
Health to Rwanda from 2011-2016.
Rwanda needs more
pediatricians – experts
Published by The New
Times on September 15, 2017
By Peterson Tumwebaze
“Rwanda pediatric
association, an umbrella for pediatricians in the country, says there is need
for more pediatricians in the country to help improve children’s health… Dr
Agnes Binagwaho, the chair of Rwandan Pediatric Association, urged her
counterparts about their responsibility towards supporting the education of
more medics in the country to have more pediatric experts.
...
‘We need more
specialised nurses, pediatric oncologists, and other specialists in children
health matters so as to curb unnecessary children deaths,’ she said. She called
for improved nutrition among pregnant women to enable them produce healthy
children, provision of reproductive health information to teenagers to avoid
teenage pregnancies, as well as supporting them in case they get pregnant.”
Women’s rights, cricket
unites and an audience with Paul Kagame: Lionel Barber’s Rwanda diary
Published by Financial
Times on August 23rd, 2017
By Lionel Barber
“The FT editor visits an
African country determined to go its own way as its steely president marks
another landslide election victory
…
It is my maiden visit to
Rwanda, a country the size of Wales where everyone wears shoes, plastic bags
are banned and the armed forces are perhaps the most feared in Africa. But here
women enjoy equal rights to land ownership and the cabinet is packed with
female talent. One irrepressible role model is Agnes Binagwaho, the former
health minister, who is our introductory guide to democracy, Rwandan-style. As
we wend our way north from Kigali, past rolling hills and lush countryside, I
am struck by the orderliness of the villages and little towns. Every last
Saturday of the month, the people go to work on behalf of the country, cleaning
the streets or assisting in construction. ‘We’re more efficient than the
Chicago school of finance that screwed up the world,’ says Binagwaho.”
A
conversation
Published
by Techonomy Health on May 30th 2017
This
is an interview by Claudia González Romo of UNICEF and the Vice Chancellor at the University of Global Health Equity.
Watch
the full video at: https://techonomy.com/conf/health17/videos-conversations-3/a-conversation-with-dr-agnes-binagwaho/
On people dying at home with clinical support
Published by Salzburg
Global Seminar on May 24th 2017
“.... former Minister of Health in Rwanda, highlights examples of
palliative care existing in hospitals. Binagwaho, however, says the majority of
people are dying at home without clinical support. She says people should be
able to die at home with technical assistance and have a good clinical
accompaniment. This process could ensure people could die at home without pain
and in comfort.
..... was a participant at Session 562 - Rethinking Care Toward the End of Life. This
session was part of the long-running Health and Health Care Innovation series.
It was held in partnership with the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy &
Clinical Practice and the Mayo Clinic. For more information, please visit www.salzburgglobal.org/go/562”
University of Global
Health Equity to fill skills gap
Published by The New
Times on April 9th, 2017
By Jean d'Amour
Mbonyinshuti
“Rwandans and Africans
in general are set to benefit from an increase in well-trained health
professionals from the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) that will,
this year, graduate its first class in Rwanda.
…
..... next
year the university will open a medical school in Burera district to provide
undergraduate education. Plans are also underway to open a campus close to
Masaka Hospital in Kigali with the goal of transforming it into a teaching
hospital.”
Africa24's "Interview" Program received me to share my view on the progress of Rwanda's health sector.
Published on July 7, 2016
http://www.africa24tv.com/fr/linterview-rwanda-dr-agnes-binagwaho-ministre-de-la-sante
In this interview, Marie Angele Touré asked me
several questions about the magnitude of the task of being a Health Minister in
Rwanda and on some challenges, such as malaria. She also asked about how
my colleagues and I are able to do this. I responded by explaining how, here in
Rwanda, all Ministries of the social sector are working together in synergy in
order to improve the health of our people.
Saving the world through social media? How
development is going digital
From tracking World Bank projects to Twitter conversations with Rwanda's health minister, technology is driving innovation...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jan/04/saving-world-social-media-development-digital?INTCMP=SRCH
Every other Monday, Rwanda's health minister,
Dr Agnes Binagwaho (@agnesbinagwaho)
takes to Twitter for her #Ministermondays Twitter chats. The minister says on
her blog: "It is so
important for Rwandans to be able to communicate with their government. In the
Ministry of Health and throughout the central government, we strive for
transparency, accountability, and accessibility." Demonstrated
in this Twitter exchange, the minister and her team respond directly to
questions that come in.
cervical cancer
http://www.gavi.org/library/news/press-releases/2014/1-5-million-girls-set-to-benefit-from-vaccine-against-cervical-cancer/
1.5 million girls set to benefit from vaccine against
cervical cancer
GAVI Alliance has supported for national
introductions marks new HPV vaccine.
Mars 2014
http://www.gavi.org/library/news/press-releases/2014/1-5-million-girls-set-to-benefit-from-vaccine-against-cervical-cancer/
Rwanda's measles-rubella vaccine campaign: Q and A
with Dr. Agnes Binagwaho
Mars 2013
Dr. Agnes Binagwaho explains how political
commitment to high immunization coverage help a country more than halve child
mortality
http://www.gavi.org/library/news/gavi-features/2013/rwanda-measles-rubella-vaccine-campaign-q-and-a-with-health-minister/
Over 700 million children in 49 countries to be
protected against measles and rubella
12 March 2013
Rwanda, first sub-Saharan African country to introduce measles-rubella vaccine nationwide with GAVI support
Scholars debate Rwandan'a success story at
Oxford
http://focus.rw/wp/2013/04/scholars-debate-rwandas-success-story-at-oxford/
The meetings are held under the ‘Skoll World
Forum on Social Entrepreneurship,’ an international platform for accelerating
entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world’s most
pressing social issues......
Expanding Cancer
Prevention and Treatment in the Developing World
Merrill Goozner
JNCI J Natl Cancer
Inst (2012) 104 (6): 432-433 first published
online March 5, 2012
doi:10.1093/jnci/djs169
doi:10.1093/jnci/djs169
Rwanda's health minister,
Agnes Binagwaho, M.D., will soon launch a major a major campaign
to detect and treat cancer..... The
country ... . know how to control infectious disease, ..... “We’re
targeting the cancers where we can save the most lives with the simplest (drug) regimens.”
targeting the cancers where we can save the most lives with the simplest (drug) regimens.”
Rwanda introduces new vaccine
against a leading childhood killer
Rotavirus vaccines protect children from severe
and deadly diarrhea,
a major step for the children of Rwanda as this
vaccine will save even more lives.
Geneva, 25 May 2012
Bill Clinton Carving a Legacy of Giving
Medical Schools Join Effort in Rwanda
Excerpt from article by The New York
Times:
“For the first time in history, the U.S.
government has allowed for the direct government transfer of funds to a health
sector program where the recipient country sets the terms of the program and
contracts and manages the program,” a representative for the Rwandan Ministry
of Health said by email. The US and Rwandan governments, the Global Fund
to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the universities have committed
$152 million to the seven-year program. By allowing the Rwandan government
primary control over how the funds are used, the set-up allows the program to
operate without relying on a third-party nonprofit organization.
Rwanda, The Land of Gender Equality?
Excerpt from article by Think Africa
Press:
"Sitting under the shade of a mango tree,
Agnes Uyisabye is reviewing a list of local beneficiaries of the country’s
health insurance scheme. Uyisabye, 35, is a grassroots leader in the Kansi
sector of southern Rwanda. For the last nine years, she has been in charge of
social affairs in the local umudugudu (Rwanda’s smallest administrative unit)
overseeing its 896 residents spread across 204 households. It is an unpaid
role, but Uyisabye does not mind. She slides her igitenge, a traditional
cloth worn over her clothes, to one side to reveal a mobile telephone in her
skirt pocket – used in emergencies to contact hospitals and health centres –
and touches her blue and red shirt with pride. On her shirt, in Kinyarwanda,
the local language, reads the message: 'Uprooting malaria in Rwanda is the
responsibility of us all.' Uyisabye, a mother-of-four with a primary
school education, was elected to her role in 2003, the year Paul Kagame was
sworn in as president. 'I was not surprised when I was elected,' she says,
listing female leaders in much higher positions in the country, such as the
current health minister Agnes Binagwaho."
Rwanda's Minister of Health Calls Health Care Development a Moral Obligation
Read about a discussion at Dartmouth College:
Excerpt from article by Dartmouth
Now:
"Binagwaho also spoke about the
relationship between economic and health care growth, saying that the two are
closely intertwined. There is a correlation between child mortality and
poverty, she said, and investing in quality health care is investing in
development. However the investment is made, Binagwaho said, it has to be
something that can be managed and sustained into the future. 'Dr. Binagwaho
likely dispelled some assumptions about health care delivery systems in
Rwanda,' said Puja Patel, a MALS graduate student attending the lecture. 'The
reality is remarkably impressive."
Binagwaho Stresses Equity in Care
Excerpt from article by The
Dartmouth:
"Binagwaho, who received an honorary
degree from the College in 2010, shared her experiences working for her
country’s under-resourced health care system in her talk. The quality of
Rwanda’s health care system has improved significantly since the 1994 genocide
left the country severely damaged, according to Binagwaho. The mortality rate
for those who have HIV, tuberculosis and malaria has decreased by over 70
percent over the past 10 years, and the child mortality rate has decreased at a
faster rate than many other African countries, Binagwaho said. 'It’s not a
miracle,” she said. 'This has helped build our system slowly.”
On Lessons Learned and Tweeting
Read about a discussion at Harvard with the Global Health Effectiveness Course:
Excerpt from article by UNDispatch:
"We were delighted to host Dr. Agnès
Binagwaho, Minister of Health of the Republic of Rwanda, for our Global Health
Effectiveness session Wednesday and Thursday. As always, she was very inspiring
and shared many words of wisdom. Here are a few highlights: 'Without evidence,
you do not grow. You have to take risks even if it’s a minister in front
of you.”
Bill Clinton's New Program to Breathe Life into Rwanda's Health Sector
Read about Uganda's thoughts on Rwanda's HRH Program:
Excerpt from article by Uganda's The
Independent:
"On Thursday, July 19, former United
States President Bill Clinton announced plans to improve the quality and
quantity of health workers by training the next generation of medical
practitioners in Rwanda. President Paul Kagame, Minister of Health Dr. Agnes
Binagwaho, and Clinton’s daughter Chelsea were also in attendance during the
announcement at the Rwamagana School of Nursing and Midwifery in the Eastern
Province."
Breaking the Cycle of HIV, Hunger, and Poverty
Excerpt from article by HIV Haven:
"Speaking at the event, which was
co-hosted by Harvard Medical School and Partners In Health, Rwandan Minister of
Health Agnes Binagwaho remarked on the situation in her country. 'Food is a
human right. But most people living with HIV don't have enough food, and they
need more food. So the only thing to do is to give it to them.”
AIDS 2012: Making Sure Countries Really Own Their National Response to AIDS
Excerpt from article by UNAIDS:
“Rwanda owns it AIDS response and it has been
successful,' said Dr Agnes Binagwaho, Rwandan Minister of Health. 'We developed
a vision of where we want to go in responding to AIDS and have chosen the path
to get us there. We need to align ourselves internally first and before we
start worrying about aligning our partners,' she added. During the
discussion, there was a consensus that a number of necessary conditions for
true country ownership exist. These include: strong political engagement and
inclusive leadership; high-quality strategic information; effective
coordination; capacity development; robust national strategic plans with smart
investment decisions; integration of HIV into broader health and development
strategies; and full engagement of civil society and people living with
HIV."
How Do We Get There? Country Planning for Maximum Impact
Excerpt from panel transcript by Kaiser Family
Foundation:
"The key word is accountability; meaning all along the chain, that each and everyone has a duty to the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as other health issues or social issues, education issues. We have a contract. Personally, I sign a contract with His Excellency every year on key indicators across the health sector; HIV is in there. The mayor, all the mayors – we have 30 districts – sign a contract with His Excellency also, but they also have HIV indicators. We go up to the village, meaning each and every one is responsible for those indicators, and if I fail – I may have reason to fail; maybe there was a catastrophe or I was sick, I don't know, and I have to explain why, so this makes things happen. His Excellency – There is a minister in charge of the president's office, who follows all these with His Excellency and at the end of the year we have to respond to that and we are evaluated by an independent body. It's not a joke. We take a day; we sit down with all the things we have to achieve, all the reports, all the proven actions. A report is not enough. Also, we then go and see if what I said – what are the benefits for the population?"
"The key word is accountability; meaning all along the chain, that each and everyone has a duty to the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as other health issues or social issues, education issues. We have a contract. Personally, I sign a contract with His Excellency every year on key indicators across the health sector; HIV is in there. The mayor, all the mayors – we have 30 districts – sign a contract with His Excellency also, but they also have HIV indicators. We go up to the village, meaning each and every one is responsible for those indicators, and if I fail – I may have reason to fail; maybe there was a catastrophe or I was sick, I don't know, and I have to explain why, so this makes things happen. His Excellency – There is a minister in charge of the president's office, who follows all these with His Excellency and at the end of the year we have to respond to that and we are evaluated by an independent body. It's not a joke. We take a day; we sit down with all the things we have to achieve, all the reports, all the proven actions. A report is not enough. Also, we then go and see if what I said – what are the benefits for the population?"
‘The @CoryBooker of Rwanda’ – The Health Minister Who Solves Problems Tweet-by-Tweet
Excerpt from article by UNDispatch:
"The success of Rwanda’s communication-enabled health gains
is clearly possible, in part, because of the country’s small size. Like
@CoryBooker, the mayor of Newark, NJ famous for solving problems from potholes
to snow piles that his constituents tell him about over Twitter, Rwanda’s
health minister uses her online engagement as a monitoring and evaluation
system, a transparency mechanism, and an educational tool. In time, tweeting
global leaders will likely become commonplace, but that begins with leaders
like Dr. Binagwago providing a best practices case study for government
accountability through embracing emerging media and technology."
Rwanda's Health Care Miracle
Read about an American perspective on Rwanda's health sector progress:
Excerpt from article by The New York Times:
"In most poor countries — and in the
United States — health disasters are a leading cause of a family’s decline into
poverty, but not for Rwandans. 'It gives relief to people knowing that if you
get sick, you don’t need to have a lot of money,' said Dr. Agnes Binagwaho,
Rwanda’s health minister. 'It gives you psychological stability so you can
concentrate on something else. The money can be used for other things — this is
very important in trying to stimulate economic development.'"
Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Rwanda
Watch ABC News Australia's coverage of Rwanda's drive for gender equity
London summit focusses on investing in family planning
London summit focusses on investing in family planning
Excerpt from article by Radio
Netherlands:
"According to Rwanda's Minister of Health
Agnes Binagwaho, this conference created momentum concerning Family Planning
issues and highlight the need to invest in family planning in order to reduce
maternal deaths. 'Once family planning needs are met, it will make it easier to
meet the Millennium Development goals of MDG 4 and 5. Family planning is one of
the most effectual methods for improving maternal and child health. Child
mortality rate will reduce and maternal health will also improve,' she
said."
Medtronic Foundation Supports New Initiative to Develop National Plans
Addressing Non-communicable Diseases (NCDS)
Excerpt from article on
The effort will build on a successful model of NCD care integration developed by the Rwandan Ministry of Health together with PIH and other partners. Rwanda is a leader in health sector planning, having developed a number of novel initiatives, including a community-based mutual health insurance program, universal access to antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS, performance-based financing, and eHealth. These efforts have made Rwanda the only country in Africa on track to achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals, and an experienced leader among other low- to middle-income countries. "The next generation of global solidarity must be more strategic, more efficient, and more country-driven," says Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health of Rwanda. "We have much work to do in creating a future in which the greatest risk factor for dying of a noncommunicable disease is not where one is born."
Hands-On Medical Education in Rwanda
Excerpt from article on
NYTimes.com:
“To be a good global health provider, it’s good for students to see what others have done,” Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, who is both the Rwandan health minister and a Harvard faculty member, said by telephone. Seeing potential for the course outside of Massachusetts, Dr. Binagwaho worked with Partners in Health to bring the Harvard curriculum to her home country. “We hope to have students come from around the world and learn from them as well, and also have the students learning from each other, because they are all coming from countries where there are things ongoing,” she said. In the future, she hopes to invite health professionals from around Africa and other developing countries to participate. “We can be the example,” she said, “not teaching in theory, but teaching in practice. If you want the developing world to develop, you have to develop teaching. Courses like this have to grow.”
“To be a good global health provider, it’s good for students to see what others have done,” Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, who is both the Rwandan health minister and a Harvard faculty member, said by telephone. Seeing potential for the course outside of Massachusetts, Dr. Binagwaho worked with Partners in Health to bring the Harvard curriculum to her home country. “We hope to have students come from around the world and learn from them as well, and also have the students learning from each other, because they are all coming from countries where there are things ongoing,” she said. In the future, she hopes to invite health professionals from around Africa and other developing countries to participate. “We can be the example,” she said, “not teaching in theory, but teaching in practice. If you want the developing world to develop, you have to develop teaching. Courses like this have to grow.”
Rwanda Introduces New Vaccine Against a Leading Childhood Killer
Excerpt from article on
AllAfrica.com:
The introduction of rotavirus vaccines into the country's routine immunisation programme marks an historic landmark in improving access to life-saving tools for children who need them the most. "This is a major step for the children of Rwanda as this vaccine will save even more lives," said Dr Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health of Rwanda. "Vaccines have proven to be one of the most impactful health interventions and we take pride today in our continuous ramp up of our routine immunisation programme with such a powerful new vaccine."
The introduction of rotavirus vaccines into the country's routine immunisation programme marks an historic landmark in improving access to life-saving tools for children who need them the most. "This is a major step for the children of Rwanda as this vaccine will save even more lives," said Dr Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health of Rwanda. "Vaccines have proven to be one of the most impactful health interventions and we take pride today in our continuous ramp up of our routine immunisation programme with such a powerful new vaccine."
Rwanda to Raise Salaries of Medical Officers
Excerpt from article on
theeastafrican.co.ke:
“PBF has been around for five years and we thought it wise to review it. We have divided the country into four zones based on the difficulty faced by health practitioners in their work, meaning that doctors in easy postings like Kigali where infrastructure is in place, will be receiving lower incentives than their colleagues who work in rural areas,' Dr Binagwaho told the press last week, noting that the Ministry of Health has put in places a committee of district doctors to review it."
EAC States Plans Central Registry for Medicines to Boost Supply
Read about the new EAC Medicines Registration Harmonisation Project:
Excerpt from article on East African News Agency at
“PBF has been around for five years and we thought it wise to review it. We have divided the country into four zones based on the difficulty faced by health practitioners in their work, meaning that doctors in easy postings like Kigali where infrastructure is in place, will be receiving lower incentives than their colleagues who work in rural areas,' Dr Binagwaho told the press last week, noting that the Ministry of Health has put in places a committee of district doctors to review it."
EAC States Plans Central Registry for Medicines to Boost Supply
Read about the new EAC Medicines Registration Harmonisation Project:
Excerpt from article on East African News Agency at
ippmedia.com:
"The East African Community (EAC) has agreed to set up a Medicines Registration Harmonization (MRH) project to address issues related to improving supply of medicines and harmonizing medicines registration in the region. The USD 12.5m project. which was launched recently, is expected to be implemented over a period of five years. The project, said to be a key contributor to public health, would lead to access to good quality, safe and effective medicines. It will see all the five partner states of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania have a single law regulating the registration of medicines in the region.... Rwanda’s Minister of Health Dr. Agnes Binagwaho noted that launching of the project was a great opportunity for Rwanda since the country is still developing the science and technology sector. 'It will help in the provision of high quality medicines at affordable prices and on time.'"
Leaders call for new approach to women’s health
"The East African Community (EAC) has agreed to set up a Medicines Registration Harmonization (MRH) project to address issues related to improving supply of medicines and harmonizing medicines registration in the region. The USD 12.5m project. which was launched recently, is expected to be implemented over a period of five years. The project, said to be a key contributor to public health, would lead to access to good quality, safe and effective medicines. It will see all the five partner states of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania have a single law regulating the registration of medicines in the region.... Rwanda’s Minister of Health Dr. Agnes Binagwaho noted that launching of the project was a great opportunity for Rwanda since the country is still developing the science and technology sector. 'It will help in the provision of high quality medicines at affordable prices and on time.'"
Co-financing, an investment in our children
Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, explain why countries
need to commit to co-financing
Leaders call for new approach to women’s health
New York, 19 September 201
Tthe HPV vaccine has become an essential part of our cancer strategy
Malnutrition: The Scourge of Rwanda's Children
Excerpt from article on guardian.co.uk:
"Agnes Binagwaho is optimistic. 'It is
not about food aid. We do not need food in Rwanda. We need education.' However
it is, she says, about what is being grown. Cassava root, ground to a flour and
cooked up as a doughy paste, is a traditional staple. It fills children up but
has almost no nutritional value. 'It's also about how they treat vegetables.
Families cook carrots too long, for example, so there is no vitamin A
left.'...
AIDS Prevention Inspires Ways to Make Circumcision Easier (New York Times)
Read about non-surgical male circumcision using the PrePex device, studied and proved effective in Rwanda:
AIDS Prevention Inspires Ways to Make Circumcision Easier (New York Times)
Read about non-surgical male circumcision using the PrePex device, studied and proved effective in Rwanda:
Excerpt from article on NYTimes.com
"The day of the assembly line
circumcision is drawing nearer. Now that three studies have shown that
circumcising adult heterosexual men is one of the most effective 'vaccines'
against AIDS - reducing the chances of infection by 60 percent or more - public
health experts are struggling to find ways to make the process faster, cheaper,
and safer... In a recent safety study, Rwanda has used PrePex to circumcise 590
men. Only two had 'moderate' complications; one was fixed with a single suture,
and one required a new band in a different spot... Rwanda is training 150
two-nurse teams; it is a small country, but it serves as a bellwether for
Africa."
Poor Nation with a Health Plan (New York Times)
Read about Rwanda's Mutuelle de Santé community-based health insurance program:
Excerpt from article on NYTimes.com
"An example of how the system overburdens
the poor, he said, was the fact that the wealthiest Rwandans pay the same $2
that the rural poor do. Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, the Health Ministry official,
agreed, 'It's totally insane that my mother pays the same as the woman who
cleans her house,' she said. 'That law is being changed.' Still, Dr.
Binagwaho said, Rwanda can offer the United States one lesson about health
insurance: 'Solidarity -- you cannot feel happy as a society if you don't
organize yourself so that people won't die of poverty.'"
Millions in Africa depend on Global Fund’s good
work (Today's Zaman)
Excerpt from article on TodaysZaman.com
"Explaining Rwanda’s success, its health
ministry officials say the country already has a good health system and 86
percent of the population has health insurance. Rwanda’s Health Minister Agnes
Binagwaho says proudly, 'The Global Fund is a tool, and it can make miracles
when its donations are given to honest, hardworking people.' According
Binagwaho, what sets Rwanda apart from its neighbors is its vision,
transparency and lack of corruption. But isn’t she worried about less
funding? 'If you’re driven by your worry, you’ll never get anywhere,' Binagwaho
says. She also points to a darker side of aid programs, saying that there is a
'poverty business,' where people on the boards or staff of global aid
organizations earn hefty salaries."
LETTERS
Mobilized
Against AIDS (1 Letter)
Published: August 22,
2011
To the Editor:
Re “Pathogens May
Change, but Fear Remains the Same” (Essay, Aug. 15): Rwanda has
fought for the last decade to provide free universal access to antiretroviral
therapy for all H.I.V.-positive
residents who are clinically in need. Activists here and around the continent
continue to mobilize and, in partnership with countries like yours, are making
incredible progress in the fight against H.I.V./AIDS. Your article painted a
false picture of all Africans as fatalistic victims of the virus, instead of
activists who are building the global movement to demand access to the fruits
of modern medicine. Rwandans are in no way resigned.
Agnes Binagwaho
Kigali, Rwanda
The writer is Rwanda’s minister of health and a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School.
Science Times welcomes letters from readers.
Those submitted for publication must include the writer’s name, address and
telephone number. E-mail should be sent toscitimes@nytimes.com.
Send letters to Science Editor, The New York Times, 620 Eighth Avenue, New
York, N.Y. 10018.
A version of this
letter appeared in print on August 23, 2011, on page D4 of the New York edition
with the headline: Mobilized Against Aids.
Rwanda saving lives of mothers and babies (CNN/Gary Strieker)
Excerpt from associated article on CNN.com
"Childbirth is the number-one killer of
young to middle-aged women in developing countries, and one of the
worst-affected countries is Rwanda, where maternal mortality rates have been
dire. But a new rural hospital is transforming the local health system and
offering a model of how to turn around the situation in the country. The Butaro
Hospital has been built to provide quality healthcare in one of Rwanda's most
remote districts. Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, the Rwandan Permanent Secretary of
Health, welcomed the new facility. "There are too many deaths that we
could prevent by increasing access to care in a geographic way and also
increasing the expertise of health professionals that deliver services,"
she said."
Rwandan Media:
Butaro Cancer Centre opens new wing
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15457&a=69744 via
20th August 2013
Health Minister Agnes Binagwaho is joined by Dr Paul Farmer, one of the founding directors of Partners in Health (2R) and Bill and Joyce Cummings (Friends of Rwanda), as well as Burera Mayor Samuel Sembagare (L) to commission the Butaro Ambulatory Cancer Centre on Tuesday.
The New Times/Irene Nayebare
Government to Pay Health Insurance for the Vulnerable This Month (Rwanda's New Times)
12 November 2012
Dr. Binagwaho to Rescue Mothers Held at Muhima Hospital (Igihe)
11 November 2012
Hospitals Accused of Abusing Health Scheme (Rwanda's New Times)
28 October 2012
Dr. Agnes Binagwaho Visits Kibuye Hospital (Ubuzima Wacu)
25 October 2012
Depression, A Social Crisis: Dr. Agnes Binagwaho (Southern Province Press Release)
19 October 2012
Ministry Marks Global Handwashing Day as Maternal and Child Health Week Closes (Rwanda Biomedical Center)
18 October 2012
600 Varsity Students Circumcised in HIV Campaign (Rwanda's New Times)
16 October 2012
Binagwaho Addresses UN on Sharing Responsibility (HOPE Magazine)
27 September 2012
Doctors Deployed to Rural Hospitals (Rwanda's New Times)
20 September 2012
District Hospitals to Be Accredited (Rwanda's New Times)
19 September 2012
EAC Health Ministers Committed to Universal Coverage (Rwanda Focus)
15 September 2012
MINISANTE Contributes Over RWF 1.2 Billion to Agaciro Fund (Rwanda Focus)
11 September 2012
Rwanda Praised Over Use of Global Fund (Rwanda's New Times)
20 August 2012
EDPRS: Walking the Talk, Health Sector Grows Over Time and Space (Rwanda's New Times)
20 August 2012
Imbuto Foundation: 10 Years of Changing Lives (Rwanda's New Times)
11 August 2012
District Advisory Committee Confirms Kinazi Hospital Workers (Ubuzima Wacu)
5 August 2012
Imbuto Foundation: 10 Years of Changing Lives (Rwanda's New Times)
11 August 2012
District Advisory Committee Confirms Kinazi Hospital Workers (Ubuzima Wacu)
5 August 2012
Rwanda, US to Conduct Collaborative Studies on Non-Communicable Diseases (Ubuzima Wacu)
29 July 2012
Binagwaho, US Health Secretary Discuss Reforms (Rwanda's New Times)
27 July 2012
Binagwaho Visit (Radio Flash FM)
27 July 2012
US Signs an Agreement to Improve in Health Sector (ABI Wacu)
26 July 2012
Butaro Cancer Center A Milestone for Local Treatment (Rwanda Focus)
23 July 2012
Rwanda, US to Partner in Human Resources for Health Program (Hope Magazine)
23 July 2012
Government, US Institutions Sign Deal to Build Health Capacity (Rwanda's New Times)
23 July 2012
Cancer Centre, A Major Milestone for Rwanda's Health Sector (Rwanda's New Times)
23 July 2012
EAC Citizens Request to Join National Health Insurance Scheme (Rwanda's New Times)
27 July 2012
Government, US Institutions Sign Deal to Build Health Capacity (Rwanda's New Times)
23 July 2012
Bill Clinton Announces New Medical Assistance to Rwanda (Rwanda's New Times)
19 July 2012
Clinton Hails Resilience of Cancer Patients (Rwanda's New Times)
19 July 2012
Letters: First Rural Cancer Centre Opens Next Week (Rwanda's New Times)
16 July 2012
Meeting the Family Planning Needs (Rwanda's New Times)
13 July 2012
First Rural Cancer Centre Opens Next Week (Rwanda's New Times)
12 July 2012
Parents Must Commit to Fight Drug Abuse - Binagwaho (Rwanda's New Times)
27 June 2012
MINISANTE to Further Improve Access to Health Care (Rwanda Focus)
25 June 2012
Health Centres to Increase (Rwanda's New Times)
24 June 2012
New Programme to Address Shortage of Health Personnel (Rwanda's New Times)
23 June 2012
WHO Director Meets President Kagame (Rwanda Express)
17 June 2012
WHO Chief for Africa Commends Rwanda's Health Programme Progress (Rwanda Express)
14 June 2012
Senior WHO Official Calls On Kagame (Rwanda's New Times)
14 June 2012
New Circumcision Device Needs Support - WHO (Rwanda's New Times)
13 June 2012
Ruhango to Benefit from New Hospital (Rwanda's New Times)
31 May 2012
Minister Binagwaho commends women for health promotion (KigaliKonnect)
29 May 2012
Time to Take Hygiene Issues Seriously (Rwanda's New Times)
21 May 2012
Egyptian Medics Likely to Open Hospital in Kigali (Rwanda's New Times)
19 May 2012
Egyptian Doctors Conclude Working Visit (Rwanda Focus)
18 May 2012
Binagwaho on Team to Pick New Global Fund Chief (Rwanda's New Times)
14 May 2012
Smartphones to the Rescue in Disaster Management (Rwanda Focus)
14 May 2012
Red Cross Calls for More Funding (Rwanda's New Times)
10 May 2012
District Pharmacies Get Drug Delivery Trucks (Rwanda's New Times)
10 May 2012
Social Marketing NGO Launched (Rwanda's New Times)
29 April 2012
Reflecting On Nation's Phenomenal Health Progress (Rwanda's New Times)
29 April 2012
Binagwaho Calls for Better Hygiene in Kicukiro (Rwanda's New Times)
27 April 2012
Health Ministry Signs Deal With Cardiologists (Rwanda's New Times)
25 April 2012
Flood Death Toll Rises (Rwanda's New Times)
16 April 2012
Ministry of Health Honours Genocide Victims (News of Rwanda)
15 April 2012
Health Sector Honours Genocide Victims (Rwanda's New Times)
15 April 2012
MoH Cracks Down on Forgery (Rwanda's New Times)
15 April 2012
Gov't to Roll Out Regional Health Project (Rwanda's New Times)
10 April 2012
Malaria Vaccine 'Shows Promise' (Rwanda's New Times)
5 April 2012
Grand Plan for 500 Health Units in Seven Years (Rwanda's New Times)
5 April 2012
Binagwaho Berates Health Workers Over Poor Service Delivery (Rwanda's New Times)
3 April 2012
Nurse Suspended Over Neglect (Rwanda's New Times)
31 March 2012
Annual International Child Health Conference opens in Kigali (Ubuzima Bwacu)
30 March 2012
Health Workers' Incentives Under Revision (Rwanda Focus)
26 March 2012
It's Time to Deliver for Girls, Women (Rwanda's New Times)
24 March 2012
Medics Top-Up Incentives Under Review (Rwanda's New Times)
23 March 2012
Health Centre Commissioned (Rwanda's New Times)
23 March 2012
Public Urged to Join Fight Against Cancer (Rwanda's New Times)
23 March 2012
Eight Killed in Bus Accident (Rwanda's New Times)
17 March 2012
Child Mortality Rates On the Decline (Rwanda's New Times)
14 March 2012
Wife Battering Still a Challenge in Gicumbi (Rwanda's New Times)
10 March 2012
Education and Disease Prevention (Rwanda's New Times)
3 March 2012
Alert On As Cholera Hits DRC (Rwanda's New Times)
29 February 2012
Remains of 25,000 Genocide Victims Given Decent Burial (Rwanda's New Times)
28 February 2012
2,000 Women Screened for Cervical Cancer (Rwanda's New Times)
25 February 2012
Drive to Promote Balanced Diet Gathering Pace (Rwanda Focus)
20 February 2012
Anti-Malnutrition Drive Launched in Gicumbi (Rwanda's New Times)
17 February 2012
Swiss Medics Wind Up Fistula Operations in Ruhengeri (Rwanda's New Times)
17 February 2012
Health Sector On Track - DHS Report (Rwanda's New Times)
15 February 2012
Country Tops EA in Anti-Malaria Drive (Rwanda's New Times)
14 February 2012
Let Us Remain Vigilant in the Fight Against Breast Cancer (Rwanda's New Times)
13 February 2012
Epilepsy Tops Cases of Mental Illnesses in the Country (Rwanda's New Times)
9 February 2012
Ministiri Dr Binagwaho yashubize ibibazo kuri Twitter, SMS na Website (Umuseke)
7 February 2012
Nyagatare Grapples with Malaria (Rwanda's New Times)
30 January 2012
Binagwaho Intensifies Clean Up Campaign (Rwanda Focus)
30 January 2012
New Law to Regulate Pharmacies, Drugs, and Therapeutic Food (Rwanda Focus)
30 January 2012
Pharmacies to Be Spread Out (Rwanda's New Times)
28 January 2012
Mutuelle Subscribers Contest Discrimination (Rwanda's New Times)
28 January 2012
Poor Sanitation in Hospitals Irks Minister Binagwaho (Rwanda's New Times)
27 January 2012
Kigali's Health Insurance Scheme Shows Promise (East African Business Week)
21 January 2012
Why Locals Love Twitter, Facebook (Rwanda's New Times)
21 January 2012
13 January 2012
Healthcare Providers Sensitised On Endemic Diseases (Rwanda's New Times)
11 January 2012
11 January 2012
MDG Progress: Focus on the Health Sector (Rwanda's New Times)
11 January 2012
Law On Organ Donation Might Remove Taboo and Save Lives (Rwanda Focus)
9 January 2012
Community health workers making a difference (Rwanda's New Times)
28 November 2011
Monitoring of malaria drugs' effectiveness to increase (Rwanda's New Times)
26 November 2011
Binagwaho sets up special Twitter session (Rwanda's New Times)
19 November 2011
Ensuring family planning access, African leaders should do more (Rwanda's New Times)
18 November 2011
Medics acquire skills on grant application (Rwanda's New Times)
11 November 2011
Government against condoms in school (Rwanda's New Times)
10 November 2011
Medics vow to promote professionalism (Rwanda's New Times)
4 November 2011
Korea donates mobile clinic vehicles to military hospital (Rwanda's New Times)
28 October 2011
WHO warns about neglected diseases (Rwanda's New Times)
26 October 2011
Ministry of Health doing impressive job (Rwanda's New Times)
24 October 2011
We can build a better Africa- Binagwaho (Rwanda's New Times)
23 October 2011
Rwanda has no cancer specialists (Rwanda's New Times)
22 October 2011
MPs urge caution over narcotics bill (Rwanda's New Times)
Monitoring of malaria drugs' effectiveness to increase (Rwanda's New Times)
26 November 2011
Binagwaho sets up special Twitter session (Rwanda's New Times)
19 November 2011
Ensuring family planning access, African leaders should do more (Rwanda's New Times)
18 November 2011
Medics acquire skills on grant application (Rwanda's New Times)
11 November 2011
Government against condoms in school (Rwanda's New Times)
10 November 2011
Medics vow to promote professionalism (Rwanda's New Times)
4 November 2011
Korea donates mobile clinic vehicles to military hospital (Rwanda's New Times)
28 October 2011
WHO warns about neglected diseases (Rwanda's New Times)
26 October 2011
Ministry of Health doing impressive job (Rwanda's New Times)
24 October 2011
We can build a better Africa- Binagwaho (Rwanda's New Times)
23 October 2011
Rwanda has no cancer specialists (Rwanda's New Times)
22 October 2011
MPs urge caution over narcotics bill (Rwanda's New Times)
27 August 2011
Community health workers: advancing health progress at the grassroots level (Rwanda's New Times)
25 August 2011
Men urged to support PMTCT services (Rwanda's New Times)
25 August 2011
Clerics join battle against infectious diseases (Rwanda's New Times)
Community health workers: advancing health progress at the grassroots level (Rwanda's New Times)
25 August 2011
Men urged to support PMTCT services (Rwanda's New Times)
25 August 2011
Clerics join battle against infectious diseases (Rwanda's New Times)
11 August 2011
