Ministry of Health and USAID Rwanda Partner to empower 500 Midwives in Rwanda
The Ministry of Health, in partnership with USAID Rwanda through the USAID Ireme project implemented by Management Sciences for Health (MSH) – is launching a midwifery scholarship program to train and empower 500 midwives in the next five years of the project implementation, in line with the Ministry’s 4×4 strategy to address the shortage of healthcare workers in Rwanda by quadrupling healthcare workers in the next 4 years.
Minister of Health Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana commended these efforts during his keynote presentation at a global conference hosted by the Management Sciences for Health (MSH) convening at the Kigali Marriott Hotel with more than 150 participants from 18 countries where MSH has a presence. Currently, Rwanda has a little over 1,000 nurses, but the goal is to increase this number to 4,000 within the next four years, with a focus on the midwifery and nursing sectors.
Dr. Anita Asiimwe from USAID Ireme emphasized the importance of building a strong healthcare workforce in Rwanda to improve the lives of Rwandans, human resources for health being an important pillar in health systems strengthening.
The President and CEO of MSH Global, Marian Wentworth, praised Rwanda for its innovative approaches to healthcare and highlighted the positive impact of proper health program implementation. She emphasized the need for more healthcare workers in Rwanda and announced plans to launch a scholarship program funded by USAID that supports the government’s efforts to increase the health workforce in Rwanda as well as increase enrollment for those interested in pursuing careers in midwifery to help address this gap.
