Dr. Ngamije who has been assuming the duties for two years and nine months handed over to his successor this Friday and explained that reforms were needed for the health sector to meet its target.

The reforms in the Ministry of Health also saw Dr. Yvan Butera appointed Minister of State replacing Dr. Tharcisse Mpunga.

Speaking at the handover today, Dr. Ngamije said that undertaken reforms came in the right time.

"It is a special day for the Ministry of health to get new forces to fast track envisioned goals in the health sector. I believe the appointment of Dr. Sabin and Dr. Yvan respectively as Minister and State Minister was timely,” he affirmed.

Dr. Ngamije said that a lot has been achieved since he was appointed as Minister of Health in February 2020 noting that the country’s leadership may have found it necessary to pass the ball for others to do more.

“The reinforcement of this sector came in handy because we are implementing the national strategy 2017-2024, with clearly defined objectives to be achieved. If it is in respect of gaps revealed in the recent Demographic and Health Survey, we need to do things differently. In my opinion, it is a right decision,” he said.

Within five years of President Paul Kagame’s third term, a lot has been achieved in the health sector.

In 2017, figures indicated that one doctor attended to 10,055 patients per year with a target to reduce the number drastically and improve healthcare services.

In 2020, the number of patients attended to by one doctor reduced to 8.247. This was considered a great milestone as the achievement saw the country surpassing its target of 9000 patients assigned to one doctor in 2021.

Figures also show that there has been a significant milestone in increasing the number of midwives. In 2017, a midwife would attend to 4,064 mothers but the number reduced significantly to 2,340 in 2021.

On the other hand, the number of patients assigned to one nurse increased from 1,095 in 2017 to 1,198 in 2020 against the target of reducing them to 900.

As for new areas of priority, Dr. Ngamije stressed the need for the establishment of a law on organ donation as Rwanda mulls introducing kidney transplant services.

He also highlighted the need to update the law regarding healthcare services established in 1998.

Dr. Ngamije also requested his successor to follow up the framework for mobilization of domestic financing to promote the health sector and streamline implementation of projects aimed at making Rwanda a hub for healthcare services.

Dr. Nsanzimana thanked the Head of State for the trust bestowed to him to lead the Ministry of Health and urged his subordinates on teamwork to meet the country’s aspirations.

He also pledged to expedite quality of service delivery, people-centeredness and evidence-based interventions in the health sector

Prior to the appointment, Dr. Nsanzimana has been serving as the Director General of Butare University Teaching Hospital (CHUB) for nine months. He also worked as the Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) since 2019 among other duties.

Dr. Ngamije (left) presenting a handover note to his successor, Dr. Nsanzimana.

The handover ceremony took place at the Ministry of Health.