Africa-Press – Rwanda. Over 20,000 Rwandans living in rural areas are set to benefit from nearby access to healthcare services delivered by Beyond2020, a United Arab Emirates-driven humanitarian initiative that seeks to increase healthcare access in rural and remote areas.
Through the initiative, Beyond2020 has established 156 clinics in Rwanda and empowered qualified nurse-entrepreneurs to open and manage sustainable, tech-enabled, primary care clinics so as to better serve patients and improve the accessibility of essential medicines in rural communities.
In addition to that, the initiative enables the nurse-entrepreneurs to provide direct surveillance, screening, and referral of any suspected cases of COVID-19 or other emerging epidemics in Rwanda which is the 11th host country of this initiative.
The clinics were established as part of a partnership between One Family Health (An implementing partner of Beyond2020) and Rwanda’s Ministry of Health as part of the Government of Rwanda’s efforts to reach Universal Health Coverage and to improve health facilities across the country.
Commenting on the development, Hazza Mohammed Al Qahtani, UAE Ambassador to Rwanda, said that his country is proud to support critical access to healthcare in Rwanda through Beyond2020.
“Responding to the Covid-19 pandemic has been the greatest test for healthcare globally. Expanding access to robust and resilient healthcare systems is of pivotal importance in managing the post-Covid-19 recovery, especially when it comes to overcoming service disruptions,” he said.
On his part, Emmanuel Hategeka, Rwanda’s Ambassador to the UAE rooted for his country’s value on healthcare access and commended the work of Beyond2020.
“Universal access to healthcare is one of Rwanda’s top priorities. We value the intervention by Beyond2020 and its partners which aligns directly with the Rwanda Government’s ongoing efforts to increase access to a more modern and world-class health apparatus for its people.”
Through the four clinics in the Nyaruguru and Rubavu districts, Beyond2020 has enabled the creation of 12 jobs, including those of four nurse-entrepreneurs.
“I am proud to provide healthcare and health education to my community. Having a health post in our community means a lot to me and my family. It helps us to prevent diseases and improve the quality of our lives” said Innocent Ntakirutimana, a Nyaruguru district resident who secured a job from the initiative.
Mark Wagstaff, the Country Director of One Family Health expanded on the importance of the deployment saying: “The beauty of the Zayed Sustainability Prize and the Beyond2020 initiative lies in the establishment of health posts in four different communities that would not have any for two or three years. From the initiative’s support, we have now been able to provide these facilities as of this year.”
Venerande Mukamusoni is one of the thousands of beneficiaries of the Beyond2020 initiative. In the past, Mukamusoni would travel long distances to get to Nyamyumba Health Centre to access healthcare. That all changed when Gorwe Health Post opened its doors.
“At times, we would fall ill and not go to the hospital because it was too far,” says Venerande. “We often couldn’t afford to pay for the transport to get there, and ended up staying at home.”
Mukamusoni added that having a well-equipped health post and supporting nurses in rural areas will improve the quality of her life and that of her family.
“The new health post is close to where I live. Whenever my children or I fall ill, we immediately come to get medical treatment. These nurses are smart, offer good services and attend to us on time,” says Mukamusoni.
The Beyond2020 initiative was initiated in Rwanda by the Zayed Sustainability Prize in collaboration with One Family Health who have partnered with the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Health and with support from the initiative’s partners including, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Mubadala Petroleum and Masdar.
Thanks to this partnership, the initiative will continue to empower nurse-entrepreneurs and ensure that 20,000 Rwandans living in rural areas of the country have access to critical healthcare services.
Beyond2020 initiative is an initiative championing the sustainability and humanitarian values of the UAE’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It seeks to foster an environment of stability and empowerment within all communities where activities occur.
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