Rwanda Slashes Cost Of Drugs For Mental Health Patients

The Rwandan government, through its ministry of health, has disclosed a new treatment model for mental health patients, which will come into effect by September 2018.

According to Rwanda’s leading daily, The New Times, the country is set to manage the well being of its citizen by subsidizing the cost of drugs for mental health patients

In a 5-year partnership with American multinational pharmaceutical company, Johnson & Johnson, the East African country with a green, mountainous landscape successfully slashed the Prices of drugs by up to 70%.

Explaining further on the deal, the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) said patients suffering from Schizophrenia will no longer purchase drugs at Rwf30,000 (about ₦13,000) per dose but at only Rwf5,000 (₦2100).

“Risperdal was introduced 5 years ago. In the beginning, one dose was at Rwf100, 000 for patients without health insurance – they required three doses a year. It has since reduced to Rwf 30,000 but still many people would not afford it. Now, we expect the price to reduce up to Rwf5, 000 thanks to this partnership,” said Jean Damascene, Director of Psychiatric Care at RBC.

The partnership is also expected to tackle the knowledge and understanding of mental illness in low -income settings.