Media



Q&A: How Rwanda focused PEPFAR funds on 'people-centric, not disease-centric' care
Published by Devex on June 11th, 2018
By Adva Saldinger
Agnes Binagwaho, vice chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity and former Rwanda minister of health. Photo by: Skoll Foundation

“WASHINGTON  — When the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funds first arrived in Rwanda in 2004, the country had many people with little access to treatment. But the way the government used the funds has created a lasting legacy for its health system, in part due to the work of Agnes Binagwaho.

Binagwaho, now vice chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity and former Rwanda minister of health, is a strong advocate for countries using donor funds to further their country plans. And while it wasn’t always easy, she worked for PEPFAR funds to contribute to holistic improvements in Rwanda’s health system, rather than only serving those with HIV/AIDS or going to build parallel systems, she told Devex.”




LE POINT interview
Published by Metropole Tele on April 23rd 2018
By Georges E. Allen



In September 2015, Partners In Health took the first steps in realizing a long-sought aspiration — to create a university that would advance the cause of global health equity by training a new generation of transformational leaders in health care.

Watch the full interview here:



Q&A with Agnes Binagwaho, Rwanda’s Former Minister of Health
Published by TEDMED Blog on April 20, 2018
By TEDMED Staff


Dr. Agnes Binagwaho leads a group discussion during the University of Global Health Equity’s Global Health Delivery Leadership Program, a certificate course conducted in partnership with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Photo by Zacharias Abubeker for UGHE.

“In her 2017 TEDMED Talk, Rwanda’s former Minister of Health, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, shed light on the experience of rebuilding Rwanda’s health system after the devastating 1994 genocide. We talked with Agnes to learn more about her past efforts and to find out what she’s working on today.”




Un peu du Rwanda en Haïti
Published by Le Nouvelliste on April 18, 2018
By Frantz Duval


“Son boubou, tenue traditionnelle africaine, est éclatant. Beaucoup de vert et du jaune. C’est la première chose que l’on voit d’elle.

Très vite, ses reparties prennent le dessus. Sa bonne humeur contagieuse, ses idées claires et bien articulées accrochent. Elle a un-je-ne-sais-quoi d’engageant.

Vous conversez deux minutes avec elle, vous saisissez sans peine que vous avez affaire à un leader et à une professeure de médecine.

En fait, on voit moins le médecin, surtout l’acteur du changement, pas dans le domaine de la santé, mais dans celui du développement au sens large. Elle vient du Rwanda, pays qui a inventé une autre façon de faire. Elle l’explique très bien.

Ancienne ministre de la Santé du Rwanda où elle a été aux affaires pendant plus de 14 ans dans la haute administration, elle est aujourd’hui rectrice de University of Global Health Equity (Université de la santé globale basée sur l’équité) et c’est à ce titre qu’elle est de passage en Haïti.”


Find similar articles at:




The health science missing in Rwanda, South Africa
Published by SciDev.Net on February 21st, 2018
By Davison Mudzingwa, Eric Murinzi, Ignatius Ssuuna


“Agnes Binagwaho: ‘The science of implementation is neglected’
She is a paediatrician and Rwanda’s former Minister of Health, widely credited with transforming the country’s health system during a five-year term that ended in the summer of 2016.

She implemented a set of measures, such as universal health insurance and networks of community workers, which added up to a system bringing impressive gains in indicators from AIDS life expectancy to malaria treatment rates.

She spoke to SciDev.Net this month in Kigali, where she is now vice-chancellor at the University of Global Health Equity, about the role of science and technology in bringing about the transformation.”





Global Health and how Trust and Equity is in the Heart of Everything
Published by the University of Washington Department of Global Health on December 7, 2017
By Maryska Valentine and Caroline Liou, Department of Global Health, UW



“It’s fair to say that Dr. Agnès Binagwaho — MD, M(Ped), PhD, Vice Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), former Minister of Health of Rwanda, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) — is among the world’s foremost global health champions of our time. Dr. Agnès, as she likes to be called, was recently in Seattle where she gave a talk for UW students on “Transforming Global Health Through Education”. We had the chance to talk global health with her and get her take on effective approaches to global health and why health is key to development.”





Dr. Agnes Binagwaho on Equity and Partners In Health
Published by Partners In Health Canada on December 4th, 2017


On May 17th, 2017, Partners In Health Canada and Hart House at the University of Toronto hosted a breakfast conversation with Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, co-founder and Vice Chancellor of Partners in Health’s University of Global Health Equity and the Minister of Health to Rwanda from 2011-2016.






Rwanda needs more pediatricians – experts
Published by The New Times on September 15, 2017
By Peterson Tumwebaze

“Rwanda pediatric association, an umbrella for pediatricians in the country, says there is need for more pediatricians in the country to help improve children’s health… Dr Agnes Binagwaho, the chair of Rwandan Pediatric Association, urged her counterparts about their responsibility towards supporting the education of more medics in the country to have more pediatric experts.
...
‘We need more specialised nurses, pediatric oncologists, and other specialists in children health matters so as to curb unnecessary children deaths,’ she said. She called for improved nutrition among pregnant women to enable them produce healthy children, provision of reproductive health information to teenagers to avoid teenage pregnancies, as well as supporting them in case they get pregnant.”

Read the full article here:
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/219921




Women’s rights, cricket unites and an audience with Paul Kagame: Lionel Barber’s Rwanda diary
Published by Financial Times on August 23rd, 2017
By Lionel Barber

“The FT editor visits an African country determined to go its own way as its steely president marks another landslide election victory
It is my maiden visit to Rwanda, a country the size of Wales where everyone wears shoes, plastic bags are banned and the armed forces are perhaps the most feared in Africa. But here women enjoy equal rights to land ownership and the cabinet is packed with female talent. One irrepressible role model is Agnes Binagwaho, the former health minister, who is our introductory guide to democracy, Rwandan-style. As we wend our way north from Kigali, past rolling hills and lush countryside, I am struck by the orderliness of the villages and little towns. Every last Saturday of the month, the people go to work on behalf of the country, cleaning the streets or assisting in construction. ‘We’re more efficient than the Chicago school of finance that screwed up the world,’ says Binagwaho.”
  


A conversation 
Published by Techonomy Health on May 30th 2017


This is an interview by Claudia González Romo of UNICEF and  the Vice Chancellor at the University of Global Health Equity.




On people dying at home with clinical support
Published by Salzburg Global Seminar on May 24th 2017

“.... former Minister of Health in Rwanda, highlights examples of palliative care existing in hospitals. Binagwaho, however, says the majority of people are dying at home without clinical support. She says people should be able to die at home with technical assistance and have a good clinical accompaniment. This process could ensure people could die at home without pain and in comfort.

..... was a participant at Session 562 - Rethinking Care Toward the End of Life. This session was part of the long-running Health and Health Care Innovation series. It was held in partnership with the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice and the Mayo Clinic. For more information, please visit www.salzburgglobal.org/go/562




University of Global Health Equity to fill skills gap
Published by The New Times on April 9th, 2017
By Jean d'Amour Mbonyinshuti

“Rwandans and Africans in general are set to benefit from an increase in well-trained health professionals from the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) that will, this year, graduate its first class in Rwanda.
..... next year the university will open a medical school in Burera district to provide undergraduate education. Plans are also underway to open a campus close to Masaka Hospital in Kigali with the goal of transforming it into a teaching hospital.”

Read the full article here:
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/210393


Africa24's "Interview" Program received me to share my view on the progress of Rwanda's health sector. 


Published on July 7, 2016

http://www.africa24tv.com/fr/linterview-rwanda-dr-agnes-binagwaho-ministre-de-la-sante

In this interview, Marie Angele Touré asked me several questions about the magnitude of the task of being a Health Minister in Rwanda and on some challenges, such as malaria.  She also asked about how my colleagues and I are able to do this. I responded by explaining how, here in Rwanda, all Ministries of the social sector are working together in synergy in order to improve the health of our people. 



Saving the world through social media? How development is going digital

From tracking World Bank projects to Twitter conversations with Rwanda's health minister, technology is driving innovation... 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jan/04/saving-world-social-media-development-digital?INTCMP=SRCH

Every other Monday, Rwanda's health minister, Dr Agnes Binagwaho (@agnesbinagwaho) takes to Twitter for her #Ministermondays Twitter chats. The minister says on her blog: "It is so important for Rwandans to be able to communicate with their government. In the Ministry of Health and throughout the central government, we strive for transparency, accountability, and accessibility." Demonstrated in this Twitter exchange, the minister and her team respond directly to questions that come in.




1.5 million girls set to benefit from vaccine against 


cervical cancer


GAVI Alliance has supported for national introductions marks new HPV vaccine.
Mars 2014

http://www.gavi.org/library/news/press-releases/2014/1-5-million-girls-set-to-benefit-from-vaccine-against-cervical-cancer/




Rwanda's measles-rubella vaccine campaign: Q and A with Dr. Agnes Binagwaho

Mars 2013

Dr. Agnes Binagwaho explains how political commitment to high immunization coverage help a country more than halve child mortality
http://www.gavi.org/library/news/gavi-features/2013/rwanda-measles-rubella-vaccine-campaign-q-and-a-with-health-minister/



Over 700 million children in 49 countries to be protected against measles and rubella

12 March 2013 

Rwanda, first sub-Saharan African country to introduce measles-rubella vaccine nationwide with GAVI support



Scholars debate Rwandan'a success story at Oxford

http://focus.rw/wp/2013/04/scholars-debate-rwandas-success-story-at-oxford/
The meetings are held under the ‘Skoll World Forum on Social Entre­preneurship,’ an international plat­form for accelerating entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social is­sues......



Expanding Cancer Prevention and Treatment in the Developing World

Merrill Goozner 
JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2012) 104 (6): 432-433 first published online March 5, 2012
doi:10.1093/jnci/djs169
Rwanda's health minister, Agnes Binagwaho, M.D., will soon launch a major a major campaign
to detect and treat cancer..... The country ... . know how to control infectious disease, ..... “We’re
targeting the cancers where we can save the most lives with the simplest (drug) regimens.”


Rwanda introduces new vaccine against a leading childhood killer

Rotavirus vaccines protect children from severe and deadly diarrhea, a major step for the children of Rwanda as this vaccine will save even more lives.
Geneva, 25 May 2012




Bill Clinton Carving a Legacy of Giving


Medical Schools Join Effort in Rwanda

Excerpt from article by The New York Times:
“For the first time in history, the U.S. government has allowed for the direct government transfer of funds to a health sector program where the recipient country sets the terms of the program and contracts and manages the program,” a representative for the Rwandan Ministry of Health said by email. The US and Rwandan governments, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the universities have committed $152 million to the seven-year program. By allowing the Rwandan government primary control over how the funds are used, the set-up allows the program to operate without relying on a third-party nonprofit organization.



Rwanda, The Land of Gender Equality?

Excerpt from article by Think Africa Press:
"Sitting under the shade of a mango tree, Agnes Uyisabye is reviewing a list of local beneficiaries of the country’s health insurance scheme. Uyisabye, 35, is a grassroots leader in the Kansi sector of southern Rwanda. For the last nine years, she has been in charge of social affairs in the local umudugudu (Rwanda’s smallest administrative unit) overseeing its 896 residents spread across 204 households. It is an unpaid role, but Uyisabye does not mind. She slides her igitenge, a traditional cloth worn over her clothes, to one side to reveal a mobile telephone in her skirt pocket – used in emergencies to contact hospitals and health centres – and touches her blue and red shirt with pride. On her shirt, in Kinyarwanda, the local language, reads the message: 'Uprooting malaria in Rwanda is the responsibility of us all.' Uyisabye, a mother-of-four with a primary school education, was elected to her role in 2003, the year Paul Kagame was sworn in as president. 'I was not surprised when I was elected,' she says, listing female leaders in much higher positions in the country, such as the current health minister Agnes Binagwaho."



Rwanda's Minister of Health Calls Health Care Development a Moral Obligation

Read about a discussion at Dartmouth College:
Excerpt from article by Dartmouth Now:
"Binagwaho also spoke about the relationship between economic and health care growth, saying that the two are closely intertwined. There is a correlation between child mortality and poverty, she said, and investing in quality health care is investing in development. However the investment is made, Binagwaho said, it has to be something that can be managed and sustained into the future. 'Dr. Binagwaho likely dispelled some assumptions about health care delivery systems in Rwanda,' said Puja Patel, a MALS graduate student attending the lecture. 'The reality is remarkably impressive."



Binagwaho Stresses Equity in Care
Excerpt from article by The Dartmouth:
"Binagwaho, who received an honorary degree from the College in 2010, shared her experiences working for her country’s under-resourced health care system in her talk. The quality of Rwanda’s health care system has improved significantly since the 1994 genocide left the country severely damaged, according to Binagwaho. The mortality rate for those who have HIV, tuberculosis and malaria has decreased by over 70 percent over the past 10 years, and the child mortality rate has decreased at a faster rate than many other African countries, Binagwaho said. 'It’s not a miracle,” she said. 'This has helped build our system slowly.”



On Lessons Learned and Tweeting
"We were delighted to host Dr. Agnès Binagwaho, Minister of Health of the Republic of Rwanda, for our Global Health Effectiveness session Wednesday and Thursday. As always, she was very inspiring and shared many words of wisdom. Here are a few highlights: 'Without evidence, you do not grow. You have to take risks even if it’s a minister in front of you.”



Bill Clinton's New Program to Breathe Life into Rwanda's Health Sector

Read about Uganda's thoughts on Rwanda's HRH Program:
Excerpt from article by Uganda's The Independent:
"On Thursday, July 19, former United States President Bill Clinton announced plans to improve the quality and quantity of health workers by training the next generation of medical practitioners in Rwanda. President Paul Kagame, Minister of Health Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, and Clinton’s daughter Chelsea were also in attendance during the announcement at the Rwamagana School of Nursing and Midwifery in the Eastern Province."



Breaking the Cycle of HIV, Hunger, and Poverty
Excerpt from article by HIV Haven:
"Speaking at the event, which was co-hosted by Harvard Medical School and Partners In Health, Rwandan Minister of Health Agnes Binagwaho remarked on the situation in her country. 'Food is a human right. But most people living with HIV don't have enough food, and they need more food. So the only thing to do is to give it to them.”



AIDS 2012: Making Sure Countries Really Own Their  National Response to AIDS


Excerpt from article by UNAIDS:
“Rwanda owns it AIDS response and it has been successful,' said Dr Agnes Binagwaho, Rwandan Minister of Health. 'We developed a vision of where we want to go in responding to AIDS and have chosen the path to get us there. We need to align ourselves internally first and before we start worrying about aligning our partners,' she added. During the discussion, there was a consensus that a number of necessary conditions for true country ownership exist. These include: strong political engagement and inclusive leadership; high-quality strategic information; effective coordination; capacity development; robust national strategic plans with smart investment decisions; integration of HIV into broader health and development strategies; and full engagement of civil society and people living with HIV."



How Do We Get There?  Country Planning for Maximum Impact


Excerpt from panel transcript by Kaiser Family Foundation:
"The key word is accountability; meaning all along the chain, that each and everyone has a duty to the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as other health issues or social issues, education issues.  We have a contract.  Personally, I sign a contract with His Excellency every year on key indicators across the health sector; HIV is in there.  The mayor, all the mayors – we have 30 districts – sign a contract with His Excellency also, but they also have HIV indicators. We go up to the village, meaning each and every one is responsible for those indicators, and if I fail – I may have reason to fail; maybe there was a catastrophe or I was sick, I don't know, and I have to explain why, so this makes things happen.  His Excellency – There is a minister in charge of the president's office, who follows all these with His Excellency and at the end of the year we have to respond to that and we are evaluated by an independent body.  It's not a joke.  We take a day; we sit down with all the things we have to achieve, all the reports, all the proven actions.  A report is not enough.  Also, we then go and see if what I said – what are the benefits for the population?"




‘The @CoryBooker of Rwanda’ – The Health Minister Who Solves Problems Tweet-by-Tweet

Excerpt from article by UNDispatch:
 "The success of Rwanda’s communication-enabled health gains is clearly possible, in part, because of the country’s small size. Like @CoryBooker, the mayor of Newark, NJ famous for solving problems from potholes to snow piles that his constituents tell him about over Twitter, Rwanda’s health minister uses her online engagement as a monitoring and evaluation system, a transparency mechanism, and an educational tool. In time, tweeting global leaders will likely become commonplace, but that begins with leaders like Dr. Binagwago providing a best practices case study for government accountability through embracing emerging media and technology."



Rwanda's Health Care Miracle

Read about an American perspective on Rwanda's health sector progress:
Excerpt from article by The New York Times: 
"In most poor countries — and in the United States — health disasters are a leading cause of a family’s decline into poverty, but not for Rwandans. 'It gives relief to people knowing that if you get sick, you don’t need to have a lot of money,' said Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Rwanda’s health minister. 'It gives you psychological stability so you can concentrate on something else. The money can be used for other things — this is very important in trying to stimulate economic development.'"



Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Rwanda

Watch ABC News Australia's coverage of Rwanda's drive for gender equity


London summit focusses on investing in family planning


Excerpt from article by Radio Netherlands: 
"According to Rwanda's Minister of Health Agnes Binagwaho, this conference created momentum concerning Family Planning issues and highlight the need to invest in family planning in order to reduce maternal deaths. 'Once family planning needs are met, it will make it easier to meet the Millennium Development goals of MDG 4 and 5. Family planning is one of the most effectual methods for improving maternal and child health. Child mortality rate will reduce and maternal health will also improve,' she said."


Medtronic Foundation Supports New Initiative to Develop National Plans Addressing Non-communicable Diseases (NCDS)
Excerpt from article on 

The effort will build on a successful model of NCD care integration developed by the Rwandan Ministry of Health together with PIH and other partners. Rwanda is a leader in health sector planning, having developed a number of novel initiatives, including a community-based mutual health insurance program, universal access to antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS, performance-based financing, and eHealth. These efforts have made Rwanda the only country in Africa on track to achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals, and an experienced leader among other low- to middle-income countries. "The next generation of global solidarity must be more strategic, more efficient, and more country-driven," says Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health of Rwanda. "We have much work to do in creating a future in which the greatest risk factor for dying of a noncommunicable disease is not where one is born."


Hands-On Medical Education in Rwanda
Excerpt from article on 
NYTimes.com
“To be a good global health provider, it’s good for students to see what others have done,” Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, who is both the Rwandan health minister and a Harvard faculty member, said by telephone. Seeing potential for the course outside of Massachusetts, Dr. Binagwaho worked with Partners in Health to bring the Harvard curriculum to her home country. “We hope to have students come from around the world and learn from them as well, and also have the students learning from each other, because they are all coming from countries where there are things ongoing,” she said. In the future, she hopes to invite health professionals from around Africa and other developing countries to participate. “We can be the example,” she said, “not teaching in theory, but teaching in practice. If you want the developing world to develop, you have to develop teaching. Courses like this have to grow.”



Rwanda Introduces New Vaccine Against a Leading Childhood Killer

Excerpt from article on 
AllAfrica.com
The introduction of rotavirus vaccines into the country's routine immunisation programme marks an historic landmark in improving access to life-saving tools for children who need them the most. "This is a major step for the children of Rwanda as this vaccine will save even more lives," said Dr Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health of Rwanda. "Vaccines have proven to be one of the most impactful health interventions and we take pride today in our continuous ramp up of our routine immunisation programme with such a powerful new vaccine."


Rwanda to Raise Salaries of Medical Officers

Excerpt from article on 
theeastafrican.co.ke
“PBF has been around for five years and we thought it wise to review it. We have divided the country into four zones based on the difficulty faced by health practitioners in their work, meaning that doctors in easy postings like Kigali where infrastructure is in place, will be receiving lower incentives than their colleagues who work in rural areas,' Dr Binagwaho told the press last week, noting that the Ministry of Health has put in places a committee of district doctors to review it."



EAC States Plans Central Registry for Medicines to Boost Supply



Read about the new EAC Medicines Registration Harmonisation Project: 
Excerpt from article on East African News Agency at 
ippmedia.com
"The East African Community (EAC) has agreed to set up a Medicines Registration Harmonization (MRH) project to address issues related to improving supply of medicines and harmonizing medicines registration in the region. The USD 12.5m project. which was launched recently, is expected to be implemented over a period of five years. The project, said to be a key contributor to public health, would lead to access to good quality, safe and effective medicines. It will see all the five partner states of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania have a single law regulating the registration of medicines in the region.... Rwanda’s Minister of Health Dr. Agnes Binagwaho noted that launching of the project was a great opportunity for Rwanda since the country is still developing the science and technology sector. 'It will help in the provision of high quality medicines at affordable prices and on time.'"



Co-financing, an investment in our children


Mars 2011


Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, explain why countries need to commit to co-financing


 

Leaders call for new approach to women’s health


New York, 19 September 201
Tthe HPV vaccine has become an essential part of our cancer strategy



Malnutrition: The Scourge of Rwanda's Children

Excerpt from article on guardian.co.uk
"Agnes Binagwaho is optimistic. 'It is not about food aid. We do not need food in Rwanda. We need education.' However it is, she says, about what is being grown. Cassava root, ground to a flour and cooked up as a doughy paste, is a traditional staple. It fills children up but has almost no nutritional value. 'It's also about how they treat vegetables. Families cook carrots too long, for example, so there is no vitamin A left.'... 


AIDS Prevention Inspires Ways to Make Circumcision Easier (New York Times)



Read about non-surgical male circumcision using the PrePex device, studied and proved effective in Rwanda:
Excerpt from article on NYTimes.com
"The day of the assembly line circumcision is drawing nearer. Now that three studies have shown that circumcising adult heterosexual men is one of the most effective 'vaccines' against AIDS - reducing the chances of infection by 60 percent or more - public health experts are struggling to find ways to make the process faster, cheaper, and safer... In a recent safety study, Rwanda has used PrePex to circumcise 590 men. Only two had 'moderate' complications; one was fixed with a single suture, and one required a new band in a different spot... Rwanda is training 150 two-nurse teams; it is a small country, but it serves as a bellwether for Africa."



Poor Nation with a Health Plan (New York Times)
"An example of how the system overburdens the poor, he said, was the fact that the wealthiest Rwandans pay the same $2 that the rural poor do. Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, the Health Ministry official, agreed, 'It's totally insane that my mother pays the same as the woman who cleans her house,' she said. 'That law is being changed.' Still, Dr. Binagwaho said, Rwanda can offer the United States one lesson about health insurance: 'Solidarity -- you cannot feel happy as a society if you don't organize yourself so that people won't die of poverty.'"


Millions in Africa depend on Global Fund’s good work (Today's Zaman)

Excerpt from article on TodaysZaman.com
"Explaining Rwanda’s success, its health ministry officials say the country already has a good health system and 86 percent of the population has health insurance. Rwanda’s Health Minister Agnes Binagwaho says proudly, 'The Global Fund is a tool, and it can make miracles when its donations are given to honest, hardworking people.' According Binagwaho, what sets Rwanda apart from its neighbors is its vision, transparency and lack of corruption. But isn’t she worried about less funding? 'If you’re driven by your worry, you’ll never get anywhere,' Binagwaho says. She also points to a darker side of aid programs, saying that there is a 'poverty business,' where people on the boards or staff of global aid organizations earn hefty salaries."




LETTERS

Mobilized Against AIDS (1 Letter)

Published: August 22, 2011

To the Editor:
Re “Pathogens May Change, but Fear Remains the Same” (Essay, Aug. 15): Rwanda has fought for the last decade to provide free universal access to antiretroviral therapy for all H.I.V.-positive residents who are clinically in need. Activists here and around the continent continue to mobilize and, in partnership with countries like yours, are making incredible progress in the fight against H.I.V./AIDS. Your article painted a false picture of all Africans as fatalistic victims of the virus, instead of activists who are building the global movement to demand access to the fruits of modern medicine. Rwandans are in no way resigned.
Agnes Binagwaho

Kigali, Rwanda

The writer is Rwanda’s minister of health and a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School.
Science Times welcomes letters from readers. Those submitted for publication must include the writer’s name, address and telephone number. E-mail should be sent toscitimes@nytimes.com. Send letters to Science Editor, The New York Times, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018.
A version of this letter appeared in print on August 23, 2011, on page D4 of the New York edition with the headline: Mobilized Against Aids.


Rwanda saving lives of mothers and babies (CNN/Gary Strieker)


Excerpt from associated article on CNN.com
"Childbirth is the number-one killer of young to middle-aged women in developing countries, and one of the worst-affected countries is Rwanda, where maternal mortality rates have been dire. But a new rural hospital is transforming the local health system and offering a model of how to turn around the situation in the country. The Butaro Hospital has been built to provide quality healthcare in one of Rwanda's most remote districts. Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, the Rwandan Permanent Secretary of Health, welcomed the new facility. "There are too many deaths that we could prevent by increasing access to care in a geographic way and also increasing the expertise of health professionals that deliver services," she said."





Rwandan Media: 



Butaro Cancer Centre opens new wing
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15457&a=69744 via

20th August 2013


photo
Health Minister Agnes Binagwaho is joined by Dr Paul Farmer, one of the founding directors of Partners in Health (2R) and Bill and Joyce Cummings (Friends of Rwanda), as well as Burera Mayor Samuel Sembagare (L) to commission the Butaro Ambulatory Cancer Centre on Tuesday. 
The New Times/Irene Nayebare



Government to Pay Health Insurance for the Vulnerable This Month (Rwanda's New Times)
12 November 2012




Dr. Binagwaho to Rescue Mothers Held at Muhima Hospital (Igihe)
11 November 2012



Hospitals Accused of Abusing Health Scheme (Rwanda's New Times)
28 October 2012


Dr. Agnes Binagwaho Visits Kibuye Hospital (Ubuzima Wacu)
25 October 2012


Depression, A Social Crisis: Dr. Agnes Binagwaho (Southern Province Press Release)
19 October 2012


Ministry Marks Global Handwashing Day as Maternal and Child Health Week Closes (Rwanda Biomedical Center)
18 October 2012


600 Varsity Students Circumcised in HIV Campaign (Rwanda's New Times)
16 October 2012


Binagwaho Addresses UN on Sharing Responsibility (HOPE Magazine)
27 September 2012


Doctors Deployed to Rural Hospitals (Rwanda's New Times)
20 September 2012


District Hospitals to Be Accredited (Rwanda's New Times)
19 September 2012


EAC Health Ministers Committed to Universal Coverage (Rwanda Focus)
15 September 2012


MINISANTE Contributes Over RWF 1.2 Billion to Agaciro Fund (Rwanda Focus)
11 September 2012


Rwanda Praised Over Use of Global Fund (Rwanda's New Times)
20 August 2012


EDPRS: Walking the Talk, Health Sector Grows Over Time and Space (Rwanda's New Times)



Binagwaho, US Health Secretary Discuss Reforms (Rwanda's New Times)
27 July 2012


Binagwaho Visit (Radio Flash FM)
27 July 2012



US Signs an Agreement to Improve in Health Sector (ABI Wacu)
26 July 2012


Butaro Cancer Center A Milestone for Local Treatment (Rwanda Focus)
23 July 2012


Rwanda, US to Partner in Human Resources for Health Program (Hope Magazine)
23 July 2012


Government, US Institutions Sign Deal to Build Health Capacity (Rwanda's New Times)
23 July 2012


Cancer Centre, A Major Milestone for Rwanda's Health Sector (Rwanda's New Times)
23 July 2012


EAC Citizens Request to Join National Health Insurance Scheme (Rwanda's New Times)
27 July 2012


Government, US Institutions Sign Deal to Build Health Capacity (Rwanda's New Times)
23 July 2012


Bill Clinton Announces New Medical Assistance to Rwanda (Rwanda's New Times)
19 July 2012


Clinton Hails Resilience of Cancer Patients (Rwanda's New Times)
19 July 2012


Letters: First Rural Cancer Centre Opens Next Week (Rwanda's New Times)
16 July 2012


Meeting the Family Planning Needs (Rwanda's New Times)
13 July 2012


First Rural Cancer Centre Opens Next Week (Rwanda's New Times)
12 July 2012










Parents Must Commit to Fight Drug Abuse - Binagwaho (Rwanda's New Times)
27 June 2012


MINISANTE to Further Improve Access to Health Care (Rwanda Focus)
25 June 2012


Health Centres to Increase (Rwanda's New Times)
24 June 2012


New Programme to Address Shortage of Health Personnel (Rwanda's New Times)
23 June 2012


WHO Director Meets President Kagame (Rwanda Express)
17 June 2012


WHO Chief for Africa Commends Rwanda's Health Programme Progress (Rwanda Express)
14 June 2012


Senior WHO Official Calls On Kagame (Rwanda's New Times)
14 June 2012


New Circumcision Device Needs Support - WHO (Rwanda's New Times)
13 June 2012


Ruhango to Benefit from New Hospital (Rwanda's New Times)
31 May 2012


Minister Binagwaho commends women for health promotion (KigaliKonnect)
29 May 2012


Time to Take Hygiene Issues Seriously (Rwanda's New Times)
21 May 2012


Egyptian Medics Likely to Open Hospital in Kigali (Rwanda's New Times)
19 May 2012


Egyptian Doctors Conclude Working Visit (Rwanda Focus)
18 May 2012


Binagwaho on Team to Pick New Global Fund Chief (Rwanda's New Times)
14 May 2012


Smartphones to the Rescue in Disaster Management (Rwanda Focus)
14 May 2012


Red Cross Calls for More Funding  (Rwanda's New Times)
10 May 2012


District Pharmacies Get Drug Delivery Trucks (Rwanda's New Times)
10 May 2012


Social Marketing NGO Launched (Rwanda's New Times)
29 April 2012


Reflecting On Nation's Phenomenal Health Progress (Rwanda's New Times)
29 April 2012


Binagwaho Calls for Better Hygiene in Kicukiro (Rwanda's New Times)
27 April 2012


Health Ministry Signs Deal With Cardiologists (Rwanda's New Times)
25 April 2012


Flood Death Toll Rises (Rwanda's New Times)
16 April 2012


Ministry of Health Honours Genocide Victims (News of Rwanda)
15 April 2012


Health Sector Honours Genocide Victims (Rwanda's New Times)
15 April 2012


MoH Cracks Down on Forgery (Rwanda's New Times)
15 April 2012


Gov't to Roll Out Regional Health Project (Rwanda's New Times)
10 April 2012


Malaria Vaccine 'Shows Promise' (Rwanda's New Times)
5 April 2012


Grand Plan for 500 Health Units in Seven Years (Rwanda's New Times)
5 April 2012


Binagwaho Berates Health Workers Over Poor Service Delivery (Rwanda's New Times)
3 April 2012


Nurse Suspended Over Neglect (Rwanda's New Times)
31 March 2012


Annual International Child Health Conference opens in Kigali (Ubuzima Bwacu)
30 March 2012


Health Workers' Incentives Under Revision (Rwanda Focus)
26 March 2012


It's Time to Deliver for Girls, Women (Rwanda's New Times)
24 March 2012


Medics Top-Up Incentives Under Review (Rwanda's New Times)
23 March 2012


Health Centre Commissioned (Rwanda's New Times)
23 March 2012


Public Urged to Join Fight Against Cancer (Rwanda's New Times)
23 March 2012


Eight Killed in Bus Accident (Rwanda's New Times)
17 March 2012


Child Mortality Rates On the Decline (Rwanda's New Times)
14 March 2012


Wife Battering Still a Challenge in Gicumbi (Rwanda's New Times)
10 March 2012


Education and Disease Prevention (Rwanda's New Times)
3 March 2012


Alert On As Cholera Hits DRC (Rwanda's New Times)
29 February 2012


Remains of 25,000 Genocide Victims Given Decent Burial (Rwanda's New Times)
28 February 2012


2,000 Women Screened for Cervical Cancer (Rwanda's New Times)
25 February 2012


Drive to Promote Balanced Diet Gathering Pace (Rwanda Focus)
20 February 2012


Anti-Malnutrition Drive Launched in Gicumbi (Rwanda's New Times)
17 February 2012


Swiss Medics Wind Up Fistula Operations in Ruhengeri (Rwanda's New Times)
17 February 2012


Health Sector On Track - DHS Report (Rwanda's New Times)
15 February 2012


Country Tops EA in Anti-Malaria Drive (Rwanda's New Times)
14 February 2012


Let Us Remain Vigilant in the Fight Against Breast Cancer (Rwanda's New Times)
13 February 2012


Epilepsy Tops Cases of Mental Illnesses in the Country (Rwanda's New Times)
9 February 2012


Ministiri Dr Binagwaho yashubize ibibazo kuri Twitter, SMS na Website (Umuseke)
7 February 2012


Nyagatare Grapples with Malaria (Rwanda's New Times)
30 January 2012


Binagwaho Intensifies Clean Up Campaign (Rwanda Focus)
30 January 2012


New Law to Regulate Pharmacies, Drugs, and Therapeutic Food (Rwanda Focus)
30 January 2012


Pharmacies to Be Spread Out (Rwanda's New Times)
28 January 2012


Mutuelle Subscribers Contest Discrimination (Rwanda's New Times)
28 January 2012


Poor Sanitation in Hospitals Irks Minister Binagwaho (Rwanda's New Times)
27 January 2012


Kigali's Health Insurance Scheme Shows Promise (East African Business Week)
21 January 2012


Why Locals Love Twitter, Facebook (Rwanda's New Times)
21 January 2012




MDG Progress: Focus on the Health Sector (Rwanda's New Times)
11 January 2012


Law On Organ Donation Might Remove Taboo and Save Lives (Rwanda Focus)
9 January 2012




Community health workers making a difference (Rwanda's New Times)
28 November 2011


Monitoring of malaria drugs' effectiveness to increase (Rwanda's New Times)
26 November 2011


Binagwaho sets up special Twitter session (Rwanda's New Times)
19 November 2011


Ensuring family planning access, African leaders should do more (Rwanda's New Times)
18 November 2011


Medics acquire skills on grant application (Rwanda's New Times)
11 November 2011


Government against condoms in school (Rwanda's New Times)
10 November 2011


Medics vow to promote professionalism (Rwanda's New Times)
4 November 2011


Korea donates mobile clinic vehicles to military hospital (Rwanda's New Times)
28 October 2011


WHO warns about neglected diseases (Rwanda's New Times)
26 October 2011


Ministry of Health doing impressive job (Rwanda's New Times)
24 October 2011


We can build a better Africa- Binagwaho (Rwanda's New Times)
23 October 2011


Rwanda has no cancer specialists (Rwanda's New Times)
22 October 2011


MPs urge caution over narcotics bill (Rwanda's New Times)