The platform of mutual health actors in Burundi (PAMUSAB) indicates that mutualist movements contribute to the financing of healthcare structures. However, the low membership rate is one of the mentioned challenges that haunt this sector.
The permanent secretariat of the national social protection commission, in collaboration with development partners, organized a week dedicated to social protection, from November 8 to 10 in Gitega. Different themes were presented. Among the latter, there are those related to the contribution of the Burundian mutualist movement in financing the health sector and resource mobilization strategies in the informal sector.
The director of PAMUSAB specified that mutual health insurance helps health centers operate. “Over a period of five years, the health mutuals supported by PAMUSAB had collected an amount of one billion two hundred million Burundian francs. 79 percent of these funds collected from contributions were used for the provision of care,” specifies Edouard Nkurunziza. He added that membership in community mutual insurance reduces household health expenses by 81 percent.
Obstacles abound
The director of PAMUSAB explains that many Burundians are not yet affiliated with mutual health insurance and that this constitutes a major challenge. According to him, the figures show that if we increased the number of members, the amount of funds collected locally would increase. Thus, health systems would be financed independently without having to resort to external support. This director also highlights the insufficiency of a legal framework. For him, laws and texts are necessary so that mutual health insurance companies can have a real status and operate in accordance with the law.
As a result, recommendations were made during this week’s workshop dedicated to social protection. This includes planning a communication plan for the national social protection policy for all stakeholders and the development of a road map for the establishment of universal health coverage.
