Media


Rwandan Media: 

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)



 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




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)





International Media: 
Bill Clinton Carving a Legacy of Giving
Read about Bill Clinton's July 2012 Visit to Rwanda in The New York Times


Medical Schools Join Effort in Rwanda
Read about the Launch Rwanda's Human Resources for Health Program:
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?
Read about Rwanda's pursuit of gender equity:
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
Read about a discussion at Dartmouth College:
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
Read about a panel at the AIDS 2012 Conference:
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
Read about a panel at the AIDS 2012 Conference:
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
Read about a panel at the AIDS 2012 Conference:
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 @CoryBooker of Rwanda’ – The Health Minister Who Solves Problems Tweet-by-Tweet
Read about #MinisterMondays:
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
Read about the London Summit on 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."
Mrs. Janet Museveni in Rwanda On a Two Day Visit
Read about the First Lady of Uganda's state visit to Rwanda:
Excerpt from article in Uganda's New Vision: 
"The First Lady Janet Museveni has arrived in Kigali Rwanda on a two day visit at the invitation of her counterpart Jeannette Kagame. Mrs Janet Museveni arrived at Kanombe International Airport at 3:00pm Rwandan time last evening. She was received by the First Lady of Rwanda Mrs. Kagame, the Rwandese Ambassador to Uganda, Richard Kabonero and the Minister for Health Dr. Agnes Binagwaho in the Rwandan government. Mrs. Museveni will attend a prayer breakfast."
Medtronic Foundation Supports New Initiative to Develop National Plans Addressing Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDS)
Read about the new MOH-Medtronic-PIH NCD partnership for technical assistance to other nations:
Excerpt from article on MarketWatch.com: 
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
Read about the Harvard-Rwanda Global Health Delivery course:
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.”
Rwanda Introduces New Vaccine Against a Leading Childhood Killer
Read about Rwanda's rotavirus vaccine rollout:
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."



 First Ever Abortion Study in Rwanda
Read about Paulin Basinga's study on one aspect of maternal health in Rwanda:
Excerpt from article on MsMagazine.com: 
"Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Rwanda's Minister of Health stated, 'Reducing maternal mortality and ill-health is a priority for Rwanda. These important findings will help us better address the issue and improve the health and well-being of Rwandan women and their families. The fact that so many women are suffering complications from unsafe abortion and that so many are not receiving the care they need is very concerning. It is clearly an issue we must address.' According to the World Health Organization, 17 percent of all maternal deaths in Eastern Africa are caused by unsafe abortions. Dr. Fidel Ngabo, Director of the Maternal and Child Health Unit at the Ministry of Health in Rwanda, noted, 'Unintended pregnancy is the root cause of the vast majority of abortions. Addressing the unmet need for modern contraception is critical in order to reduce unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortions in Rwanda.''
Rwanda to Raise Salaries of Medical Officers
Read about recent policy developments on PBF in Rwanda:
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 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.'"
Malnutrition: The Scourge of Rwanda's Children
Read about malnutrition in Rwanda:
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.'... I ask her how long it will take to make real progress on the issue. Binagwaho, famed for her take-no-prisoners approach, grins and says: 'Give me a year.'"
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)
Read about progress in the Rwandan health sector here and Dr. Binagwaho's view on The Global Fund
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."


 Rwanda saving lives of mothers and babies (CNN/Gary Strieker)
Watch a clip of an interview with Dr. Binagwaho about Butaro Hospital in Burera, Rwanda. 
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."
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