The Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) has announced that starting from October 2025, it will implement a capitation payment model, under which healthcare facilities will be paid inadvance to provide services to RSSB members. This will replace the current model where healthcare providers first offer services and then request reimbursement from RSSB.
The announcement was made during a press briefing held on September 10, 2025, where RSSB presented its performance overview over the past five years, focusing particularly on the fiscal year 2024/2025.
The institution noted that the issue of delayed payments to healthcare providers who serve RSSB members has been largely resolved, mainly due to the adoption of technology. Currently, once a healthcare facility submits its claim, it is reimbursed within 23 days under Mutuelle de Santé and 30 days under RAMA.
“You’ll recall that back in 2021, payments could take up to six months. Imagine providing services and waiting six months to get paid! Today, we’re happy to say we’ve reached an average of 23 days for Mutuelle and 30 days for RAMA.” The officials said.
“This means that when funds are received on time, workers can be paid on time, medications can be purchased on time, medical supplies can be acquired when needed, and services can be provided to members promptly. This progress is largely due to digital systems and operational reforms, and we are confident this won’t regress.”
Despite this progress, Deputy Director General Louise Kanyonga stated that RSSB plans to go further by introducing the capitation model to improve service delivery and prevent potential fraud. A pilot project will first be launched in the Eastern Province, targeting healthcare facilities already working with RSSB.
“We conducted an in-depth analysis to understand how health facilities and other healthcare entities were utilizing funds and how we were reimbursing them, as well as the volume of members they serve. This helped us estimate how much money should be allocated in advance.” She explained.
The program was initially scheduled to start in July 2025, but was postponed due to changes in the drug pricing tariff. RSSB has since revised the budget projections to align with the new prices, and preparations are now in the final stages.
“We are now planning to begin next month, in October, starting with a pilot in the Eastern Province. All healthcare facilities in that region will be included. We will closely monitor the implementation, assess areas that need improvement, determine how to strengthen collaboration with providers, and use those lessons to expand the model nationwide.” She added.
As of now, the number of healthcare providers working with RSSB has grown from 953 in 2021 to 1,182 under Mutuelle, and from 810 to 1,152 under RAMA.
