Programmes and activities

Rwanda has the world‘s 10th highest maternal mortality rate. An estimated 20% of children under five suffer from severe malnutrition and nearly 10% of newborn babies do not make it to the age of five. Rwanda has a ratio of 1 doctor per 18.000 people (in Denmark the ratio is 1:275). Of these only 20% work in the rural areas where the majority of the Rwandan population lives. This is mainly caused by rural to urban migration of health workers, who often leave the public health care system in order to work in the private sector and for international NGOs, who offer higher salaries and better benefits.

A strong civil society organisation, which can represent the health workers is a necessary part of rebuilding and improving the Rwandan healthcare system and addressing the current health worker crisis. The Rwandan Medical Association constitutes the best and most capable organisation currently existing to fill this role, as it is the only civil society organisation that brings together all medical doctors in the country.  Due to the social and professional status of medical doctors, and their direct knowledge of rural and urban health conditions, a united organisation of medical doctors holds the opportunity to represent health workers in general and to influence sensible, knowledge-based and reality-based priorities of the health care resources as set up by the Rwandan government.

Global Doctors, in cooperation with the Danish Medical Association, seeks to facilitate the retention of health workers in rural districts of Rwanda by building up the capacity of the Rwandan Medical Association to address health worker migration. Planned activities include the restructuring of the organisation to accommodate increased activities and long-term strategic planning. Hopefully this will in turn lead to the development of innovative models that contribute to increased staff retention and continued medical education of health workers in 2-3 selected districts hospitals.

Members of the project group under Global Doctors have four years' prior experience working with the Rwandan health care authorities. Thus the group possesses profound knowledge about the country, including issues such as intercultural collaboration and the process of facilitating a project in the local context. The Danish Medical Association, for its part, can contribute with decades of experience in areas such as professional organisation and advocacy for health.

The project is developed by Global Doctors together with the Rwandan Medical Association and the Danish Medical Association and it is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the global civil society strategy.