Posted on 06/14/2010 2:43:54 PM PDT by reaganaut1
MAYANGE, Rwanda — The maternity ward in the Mayange district health center is nothing fancy.
It has no running water, and the delivery room is little more than a pair of padded benches with stirrups. But the blue paint on the walls is fairly fresh, and the labor room beds have mosquito nets.
Inside, three generations of the Yankulije family are relaxing on one bed: Rachel, 53, her daughter Chantal Mujawimana, 22, and Chantal’s baby boy, too recently arrived in this world to have a name yet.
The little prince is the first in his line to be delivered in a clinic rather than on the floor of a mud hut. But he is not the first with health insurance. Both his mother and grandmother have it, which is why he was born here.
Rwanda has had national health insurance for 11 years now; 92 percent of the nation is covered, and the premiums are $2 a year.
Sunny Ntayomba, an editorial writer for The New Times, a newspaper based in the capital, Kigali, is aware of the paradox: his nation, one of the world’s poorest, insures more of its citizens than the world’s richest does.
He met an American college student passing through last year, and found it “absurd, ridiculous, that I have health insurance and she didn’t,” he said, adding: “And if she got sick, her parents might go bankrupt. The saddest thing was the way she shrugged her shoulders and just hoped not to fall sick.”
For $2 a year, of course, Rwanda’s coverage is no fancier than the Mayange maternity ward.
But it covers the basics. The most common causes of death — diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, malnutrition, infected cuts — are treated.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Rwanda has had national health insurance for 11 years now; 92 percent of the nation is covered, and the premiums are $2 a year.
Bush's fault.
I can put two tin cans together with string but I wouldn't say that I established a phone network.
For 2 bucks...you’ll live to 55....if you’re lucky.
So now we are looking UP to Rwanda? Lord help us!
Much more is covered for every sitizen, and illegals (ask Texas) by the current US system.
What a pathetic, ridiculous story.
Newsflash, Mr. Ntayomba, it's not "the nation"'s JOB to "insure its citizens". It's the nation's job to create a climate free of unnecessary litigation and regulation, so that people have money to buy however much or little insurance they need.
Great.
Obama wants to pattern US healthcare after Rwanda.
(And here I thought Kenya was the Gold Standard!)
Bump!
Why for say $5.00 we could have a plan huh NYTs?
Oh the huge manatees...
When it comes to African health care, I smell the faint waft of greenbacks in the air.
What did Bush provide, $30 billion or more to Africa.
$2?
Hey and I can have a new car for just $10 dollars... (if the government will pay an additional $32,500 up front)
***The little prince is the first in his line to be delivered in a clinic rather than on the floor of a mud hut.***
The description of the clinic doesn’t sound much better than the mud hut. I guess you get what you “pay” for.
You get what you pay for...... ;)
Yeah, but Obama has a brother there that only makes about $1 a year. It’s probably best not to bring up something that might raise his name in the conversation.
55 was my estimate...I looked it up...47 is the real number
Am I to gather that we will soon have healthcare comparable to
that enjoyed in Rwanda? Gee. I can’t wait.
We’re very much like Rwanda.......a dirt poor nation with a health plan. Our national credit card hasn’t been canceled yet. When they get around to canceling it for overcharging it.....watch out!
For 2 bucks...you’ll live to 55....if you’re lucky.
55...years?
>>It has no running water, and the delivery room is little more than a pair of padded benches with stirrups.
Great. Those of us who were in the military know about socialized health care. My son (now 38) was born a Navy hospital in New England. I asked to be present at his birth (a VERY unusual request at the time). They himmed and hawed for a while and finally grudgingly said “yes”. When I got there I could see why. In the non-public areas, the place was a filthy sh*t-house.
At that time, I knew an Air Force Major (African-American) who had lost his wife there. She had come in with gut pains and the doctor, trying to get some shut-eye in a chair said (and I quote) “Send the broad home with some Alka-Seltzer and a box of aspirin”. He had been on duty for well over 32 hours. She died at home some hours later of an appendicitis.
And 11.5% of their GDP is economic aid donated by other countries.
I’m sure money coming in from USAID, China etc helps...
http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDACN040.pdf
“The construction of this Polyclinic with 100 beds and a Malaria research centre is funded by the Government of Rwanda in partnership with Chinese Government.”
http://www.moh.gov.rw/
If we had the UN dumping money INTO the US, instead of taking it...if we weren’t pouring bucket-loads of money into MANY countries, we might be sitting prettier here in the USA.
Seriously, is there someplace to see all monies listed that we spend on other countries?
Muslim’s to get training in technology, space...I get sick of all that is frittered away!
The USA needs a ‘dip’ to rid us of all these parasites, let churches and charities deal with *gifting*.
“55 was my estimate...I looked it up...47 is the real number”
So if I lived in Rwanda, this year’s big investment would be my funeral. Boy, that two bucks a year sure got me a lot. Thanks for the info, NYT! ;D
The service is $hitty, and the rate of iatrogenic disease is astronomical, but the service is universal!
It’s interesting there’s no place to leave comments. The NYT would get destroyed if they did.
For what it is costing you to travel through Rwanda you could probably buy health insurance.
It is called priorities.
If it is higher on your list of priorities to travel than it is to have health insurance that is your choice
Don’t expect the productive people of this country to pay for what you could pay for yourself.
TV commentator Dr. Nancy Snyderman said that she was jealous of Rwanda’s health care system. I would not want Dr. Nancy Snyderman advising me on health care issues.
I envy a national health care system where 93% of the cost is paid for by rich foreign philanthropists.
How can you beat that?
..the most common causes of death diarrhea, etc.....
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Now that is encouraging. How do they make it to 47?
How about running water in the maternity ward? That’d be a good start.
Hey, at least they have mosquito netting for the labor beds.
Now that is encouraging. How do they make it to 47?
Which in this day and age is surprising.
They cause of death from Diarrhea is dehydration and loss of electrolytes.
Something as simple as Gatorade can cut death rates in half.
I went to a hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, once. A momma cat was nursing her litter in a corner in the lobby. Guess it could always be worse.
Wow, they had on-site pest control ;)
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