Access Project is addressing many of the challenges that keep people from accessing the health services they need. One of the most significant barriers: the cost. Although health service fees are relatively low, they are still prohibitive for a population struggling with extreme poverty.

In response, the government of Rwanda has introduced a community based health insurance program called “mutuelle.” Recognizing mutuelles pivotal role and potential for improving health access, Access Project has made it a priority to support the program’s establishment and expansion.

Mutuelle enrollment for a year costs 1000 Rwandan Francs (about $2 US dollars) – and provides the participant with free or significantly reduced basic health services. Funding from the Global Fund and other sources is helping to cover the enrollment fee for many of the country’s poorest families.

The importance of mutuelles for health improvements cannot be underscored enough. Without it, acute poverty prevents people from accessing routine health services… until situations become extremely urgent, which is often too late.

Samson’s Story
For Samson, being poor meant that a simple case of Strep throat – one that could have been cured with a few cents worth of penicillin - went untreated for three years, developing into a life threatening heart condition that required a risky surgery and thousands of dollars to resolve. Fortunately, an anonymous donor supplied the funds necessary for Sampson to receive a life-saving operation in South Africa in 2007. Samson is now able to continue his education and lead a healthy life.

Kabara’s Story Kabara Rosari has also paid too high a price for poverty. When her grandson became sick, he was immediately taken to the nearest health center. But with no money, he left without the treatment that could have countered the malaria for a few dollars. His symptoms worsened. Eventually he was brought to another health center, but by this time he was critically ill. Although he was rushed to the hospital, it was too late. He died en route.

Access Project is committed to making mutuelles, and the subsidized health services they provide, accessible to more of the population. Access Project is leading the country’s technical working group for mutuelle implementation, which includes monitoring and evaluating the overall system, and providing training and assistance for in MAS, the mutuelles software that streamlines program management. Access Project is also addressing a logistical hurdle that often keeps people from registering for mutuelles: the required photo ID. Rural people often can’t afford the cost of transportation to a photo center, or the photo itself. The solution is simple and effective: Web cams installed on the health centers’ computers are facilitating easy enrollment with instant photos.