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Left Waiting: How Rwanda’s Health Worker Shortage Costs Lives
Mukanoheli Chantal has spent over a decade seeking treatment for a bone condition. She has visited Ruhengeri, Shyira, and Gisenyi hospitals with little success. Eventually, she was referred to CHUK, where she still waits for surgery. In spite of feeling pain, she has nothing to do as she waits for a call from CHUK. “They told me that my spinal bone was damaged and I would need surgery. They asked for my phone number and said they will call me when it’s my turn, but I don’t know when that will be,” she shared. Even though the Rwandan community needs specialists to save lives, there is an alarming shortage of health workers in this developing country.
Source : Health Care Wait Times by Country 2024
CHUK officials indicate that as of March 31, 2025, there was a long list of patients at Rwanda’s largest referral hospital. They had over 3,500 patients awaiting consultations or surgeries. These patients are not simply statistics; they represent thousands of individuals living in pain, uncertainty, and in some cases, with deteriorating health. The majority suffer from complex conditions, including orthopedic injuries, neurological disorders, and urological complications, with some having waited months or even years for medical attention.
CHUK alone had a waiting list of 470 patients needing brain surgeries, with an additional 965 seeking neurological consultations. Furthermore, 840 patients were waiting for urological care, particularly for conditions like prostate enlargement and blocked urinary tracts. Within this group, 380 individuals had already been scheduled for surgeries but had no confirmed operation dates. All of them were waiting for services at a known or unknown date. “We have too many patients in need of surgeries and consultations, especially in neurology and orthopedics. Many of them are still waiting for their turn, unsure when they will be seen,” Professor Martin Nyundo, head of medical services at CHUK, said.
This issue is not confined to CHUK. Across Rwanda, hospitals are buckling under the weight of patient demand, constrained by a limited number of specialists and inadequate infrastructure. In gynecology, specialists are so scarce that patients at hospitals in Kibuye and Ruhengeri often wait a full week just to see a doctor. Dr. Tharcisse Rwanyange, treasurer of the Rwanda Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RSOG), noted, “The shortage of specialists is a nationwide problem, not just in obstetrics and gynecology. That’s why the government has launched initiatives to increase specialist training over the next four years.”
There are also a great number of people searching for specialists for family members. Gaspard Nizeyimana, known locally as Bigabo, has an eight-year-old daughter who was born with a swollen leg. A citizen of Rugarama Sector in Burera District, he has lived with his suffering daughter for eight years. “We’ve been to Butaro, CHUK, and even Mutorere in Uganda, but no one could provide a clear diagnosis or treatment. We are now saving money to seek care abroad because treatment in Rwanda has failed,” he lamented. Burera district officials have known this case. They promised the family that they would advocate for the child to receive treatment, but until now, no help has been provided.
An eight-year-old girl is still waiting for Ruhengeri Hospital to provide her with help.
Patients aren’t just struggling in referral hospitals; even district-level care is severely delayed. Nsengiyumva Emmanuel, a resident of Nyarubuye Sector in Muhanga District, reported that it can take up to three days to receive basic test results. “We need more doctors. The delays are too long. You can walk for four hours to get to the specialists and wait for 24 hours for the results of health checkup exams,” he said.
To combat this crisis, the government has introduced surgical camps targeting a notable reduction in surgical backlogs annually, though few of these targets were achieved in 2024. Community Health Worker (CHW) programs and telemedicine have also helped.
In addition, the Ministry of Health is taking measures to address the situation. Minister Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana acknowledged the severity of the shortages and noted that the government has expanded health education programs. “We have increased training schools, starting at the secondary level, especially in areas targeting diseases that most affect Rwandans. We are also investing in technology to enhance diagnostics,” he noted.
Mental Health Patients and Pregnant Women Among the Rwandans Who Need to Be Rescued
Perhaps one of the most alarming is the situation in mental health care, which records one of the longest wait times. More than 35,000 people are currently awaiting mental health services, facing an average delay of 10.4 months. This has been linked to a troubling rise in suicide cases, with an estimated 450 suicide deaths occurring each year due to unmet psychological care needs. Epilepsy cases remain uncontrolled for 65% of the 9,500 patients awaiting neurological care. Alarmingly, Rwanda has just three psychiatric nurses per one million people (Mental Health Guideline, 2022).
Professor Gishoma Darius, a mental health expert, explains that many Rwandans have experienced mental health issues due to various social and economic challenges that affect Rwandan society as a whole. He adds that one of the reasons these conditions often go untreated is because mental illnesses do not always show visible or alarming symptoms in the early stages.
“Many people come to us saying they only experience symptoms like persistent headaches, deep sadness, and other subtle signs. They appear to think clearly in daily life and even continue doing their jobs. However, upon assessment, we often find their mental health is already seriously affected,” he said.
He urges Rwandans to overcome the stigma associated with seeking care at mental health facilities and to seek help early whenever they feel their mental well-being is not okay.
Some of the programs aimed at increasing the number of doctors include one called “4 BY 4,” which seeks to quadruple the number of health service providers within four years, running from 2024 to 2029. Dr. Tharcisse Rwanyange says there is hope based on what has been achieved over the past decade.
“The government has introduced a program to try to multiply by four the current number of health professionals. This program started in 10 teaching hospitals, classified as Level 1 and Level 2. We are optimistic because, in the past 10 years, we managed to increase the number of midwives by 12 times. It is very possible that in the next four years, we can quadruple the current workforce,” he said.
In addition to programs aimed at improving the skills of existing health workers and increasing the overall number of health professionals, the Ministry of Health says there are also plans to expand various hospitals across Rwanda by 2030.
“We are well aware that our hospitals are understaffed, but we have expansion projects underway in several hospitals across the country. For instance, King Faisal Hospital will increase its capacity from 200 beds to 600 beds, and CHUK will relocate to Masaka, expanding from 400 beds to 800 beds. These expansions will allow for an increase in the number of doctors as well as the number of patients the hospitals can accommodate,” Nkeshimana Menelas, Head of the Health Workforce Development Department at Rwanda’s Ministry of Health, stated.
When the Government of Rwanda increases the number of health workers nationwide, it will reduce patient wait times, improve access to health services, and prevent avoidable deaths by ensuring quality, timely, and equitable healthcare for all Rwandans.
