The East African Community (EAC) is hosting a seminar in Kigali to discuss the state of medical care in the region. The conference aims to help member states adopt successful healthcare models such as Rwanda’s Mutuelle de Sante in a bid to improve medical services within East Africa.
Envoys from the European Union (EU) among other countries will join member states and use this as an opportunity to address the coverage of medical care in the region. The EAC intends to give more than 142 million people from its member states access to quality and affordable healthcare. According to a statement by Development Initiatives, 54% of the total population is living below the poverty line.
The move will help hard-hit countries like Burundi, where 81% of the population currently live on less than minimum wage (8.6 million out of a total of 6.9 million Burundians). Tanzania will also be put into focus as the EAC’s largest member state, harbouring over 46.2 million people, with more than 67% of its people living in poverty. Kenya is the second-largest member state with more than 43% of the population living below the poverty line.
Anne Stake, a Finance Analyst from Rwanda’s Ministry of Health said that the Mutuelle model has the potential to help these and other East African countries improve the state of medical care within their own borders.
Speaking late last week, ahead of the seminar, Ms Stake noted that the conference will bring together more than 200 policy makers, government officials and healthcare providers. It will run between the 11th and the 13th of September 2012.