1. Rwanda’s Experience

2. A bit of history
• Between 1987 and 2000: the Rwandan Government
set up the National Program to Fight against AIDS
(PNLS), based within the Ministry of Health.
• From 2000: the government divided the PNLS into two
organizations,
– a National AIDS Control Commission (CNLS – with
responsibility to coordinate the multi-sectoral response,
focusing on policy development, partnerships and M&E)
and
– TRAC Plus (an MOH department focused on HIV biomedical research and response initiatives).
• 2006: Decentralisation led to set up of District AIDS
Commitees in 106 districts.

3. And then. . . .
• 2011: President of Rwanda called on Ministers to reduce
the number of project management units across
government to improve aid effectiveness
– Vertical programmes were putting a strain on limited
management capacity across country, especially at
decentralised levels
– Similar issues with clinical capacity, having clinicians
dedicated to just one disease instead of the suite of health
problems facing Rwandans
• Ministry of Health was the first Ministry
– Had the most PMUs compared to other Ministries, 14
autonomous departments or institutions.
– Minister of Health had been the NAC Director previously,
with strong working relationship with her successor, who
agreed with government analysis

4. Solution
• National review and consultation led to absorption of NAC
into a newly formed Rwanda Bio-Medical Centre (RBC),
with.
– Absorbed all 14 institutions and programmes including AIDS,
with corresponding legislation passed by the Assembly in 2011
– AIDS coordination put into the Institute of HIV/AIDS, Disease
Prevention and Control (IHDPC), whose director is the former
NAC Director.
• The RBC has the statutory status as the CNLS before it, as
an autonomous public sector organization that reports to a
Board of Directors. However, the RBC does sit within the
Ministry of Health and the Minister is a member of the
Board

5. MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Overall Structure of the
Rwanda Biomedical Centre
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
1
DG (1)
Medical
Research
Center
DG (1)
Medical
Maintenan
ce Center
Deputy
DMD(1)
King Faisal
Hospital
RWANDA
BIOMEDICAL
CENTER MD (1)
Deputy
MD(1)
Institute of
HIV/AIDS,
Disease
Prevention
and
Control
(IHDPC)
Deputy
MD (1)
Medical
Production
and
Procureme
nt
Rector
[DMD] (1)
Rwanda
University
of
Medicine
and Health
Sciences
(RUHMS)
DG (1)
Rwanda
Health
Communic
ation
Center
DG (1)
Corporate
Services
5

6. 1
RBC OFFICE OF THE MD
Total staffing:
34
MANAGING
DIRECTOR RBC (1)
Administrative Assistant (2)
Personal Assistant (1)
INTERNAL AUDIT UNIT (8)
M & E SPECIALISTS (5)
BUSINES
DEVELOPMENT UNIT
(10)
PLANNING &
COORDINATION (4)
Public Relations (2)