RWANDA SOCIAL SECURITY BOARD

RSSB takes the ideals of QUALITY MEDICAL INSURANCE SERVICES to the next level

Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) was formed in 2011after the merger of two Social Security schemes; Medical Insurance and Pension that were formerly managed under the Rwanda Medical Insurance (RAMA) and Social Security Fund of Rwanda (SSFR) respectively.

Since its inception, a lot has been achieved. The merger of the two institutions has resulted into harmonization of services within the two social security schemes.

The close of 2012 saw a number of achievements registered in the operation of the medical scheme particularly; extending medical coverage to pensioners, introduction of electronic health insurance cards that replaced paper booklets and the establishment of partnerships with different medical facilities.

This has improved accessibility and availability of medical facilities and services to members and beneficiaries. Medical insurance coverage has increased tremendously. Today RSSB covers acute and chronic diseases with specialized services such as CT-scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Chemotherapy,Dialysis, Spectacles, Prosthesis and Orthesis.

In a bid to put emphasis on the notion of “prevention is better than cure”, RSSB has introduced a full routine medical checkup service restricted to women and men aged 35 years and 40 years respectively. This age group was selected due to its susceptibility to disease resulting from a weakening immune system. This is also in a bid to control and prevent diseases within the growing population. Medical check-ups are accessible at three facilities; King Faisal Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHK) and Biomedical Center.

Pensioners numbering 1,492 who used to be members of the medical scheme can now access RSSB’s services. Their contributions are deducted from the monthly pension at a rate of 7.5 pc. With the introduction of new health insurance electronic cards for the members and their dependents, their distribution increased from 56,379 in 2011 to 247,140 by the end of 2012. The institution is also working closely with the community-based health insurance (Mutuelles de santé) in supporting government efforts to improve healthcare delivery to communities by increasing accessibility to medical services.

RSSB has established an annual fund within the institution’s budget as contribution towards the community based health insurance.

In a bid to provide quality services to its members, medical services within the scheme have been decentralized and can now be accessed in all districts countrywide.

Membership drive
The institution has introduced a door to door campaign in creating awareness and sensitizing the population about the medical services and their benefits so as to bring in new members. This change in strategy as opposed to seminars has been a major focus targeting the informal sector.

Results of the campaign have been impressive. Membership grew from 149,425 in January 2012 to December 2012. The number of dependents also increased from 284,948 to 316,536 within the same period. In total, the number of beneficiaries increased from 434,373 to 500,793 thus registering a record of 66,420 new beneficiaries from both the private and public sector in just a year.

Towards a comprehensive social security system
Despite the incredible achievements recorded in 2012, there is still a lot to be accomplished in the year 2013 as the institution pushes towards a comprehensive social security system that addresses the social security needs of all Rwandans. More emphasis and efforts will be directed towards extending excellent service delivery, increasing the membership status of both formal and informal sector, access to online medical services, increase in partnerships with the medical service providers, establishment of a state of art multi-specialty clinic and biomedical laboratory, and reviewing the medical services package covered by RSSB.

The institution is also pondering law reforms that will make it possible for new members to benefit or have access to medical services immediately after making their first contribution towards the scheme. Members are also called upon to make timely contributions as per the stipulated period to enable quality service delivery.

In conclusion, RSSB is committed to providing quality services to its members and beneficiaries through provision of medical care and standard pharmaceutical products. This will also be done in full cooperation with other medical services providers. Monitoring and control methods have been set up to enable and establish standards for excellent services to our members and beneficiaries. RSSB partners are obliged to follow guidelines and the set standards to avoid poor service delivery and fraud.