BUJUMBURA, April 30th (ABP) – On 25 and 26 April, the Platform of Community Mutual Health Organisations (PAMUSAB) visited the community mutual health organisations UCODE-AMR in Ngozi (Joining forces for cooperation and development support for the rural world) and MUNASA in Gitega (National health mutual), in Ngozi and Gitega provinces respectively.
In Ngozi province, PAMUSAB has noted that the population is beginning to take an interest in mutual health insurance. The head of UCODE’s “Amagara aruta amajana” project, Diane Ndagijimana, outlined the figures for households that have joined community health mutuals.
Since 2017, the number of households benefiting from health care has grown from 11,014 to 55,787 in 2023. A total of 59,190 people were treated, at a cost of 192,521,723 BIF. In 2024, 2,147 new households joined the mutual insurance schemes.
In Gitega province, MUNASA recorded 5924 member households and 30265 beneficiaries.
In 2023, 96,327 cases were treated for a sum of 445,815,935 BIF, while in 2024, 21,683 member households and 96,263 beneficiaries were recorded, according to the national delegate administrator of MUNASA, Mr Idesbald Nsabimana.
Some of the members said that those mutual health insurance schemes were extremely important because, they pointed out, with a contribution of 30,000 BIF per year and a registration fee of 1,000 BIF, a family of 6 receives 20% of its health care at public health centres, while the mutual health insurance scheme pays 80%.
At private health centres, each member pays 50% of the cost of care, and the mutual insurance company contributes 50%. If a family has more than 10 members, it pays 35,000 BIF per year for 6 people. From the 7th person onwards, they have to add 2,500 BIF for each person in order to benefit from health care.
In her testimony, Mrs Yvette Nsengiyumva said that she had been involved in a road accident and that she received health care in a private hospital where she paid half the bill. In addition, she said, members can have other people who are not members of their family but who live with them, such as relatives or domestic workers, treated. However, young people who are not studying do not have access to health care in those mutual societies.
The members of those mutuals urged other people to take a keen interest in those mutuals because, they said, health is of paramount importance.
It should be pointed out that those community health mutuals do not intervene in cases of chronic illnesses because, they said, there are even fewer members and there are few contributions to treat all illnesses.
However, the people in charge of those mutual insurers said that over time, the number of members could increase. Those mutuals will then be able to assist people with such illnesses, as their contributions will increase accordingly.