Strategic Plan

Rwanda is a country that is in the heart of Africa. It is a land locked country bordered by Tanzania in the east, Uganda in the north east, Democratic Republic of Congo in the west and Burundi in the south. Rwanda as any other third world countries, has all along been characterised by unfavourable socio-economic indicators, as the proceeding paragraphs highlight.

It has the highest population density in Africa. Its population of 7.88million in 1998 is growing at a rate of about 3.6% per annum, one of the highest population growth rates in the world. Total fertility rate is estimated to about 6.5% in 1996 compared to 8.5% in 1983. The population is predominantly rural (94.2%) and female (53.5%).

Agriculture continues to be the major sector of the economy, contributing 37% of GDP in the past two years and employing 91% of the labour force. Coffee and tea remain the principal export crops, but most primarily for house hold or community consumption. Industry and manufacturing constitute 22% of GDP and employing 2% of the population. Services, transport and communication account for the remaining of GDP and employ 7% of the labour force.

Pertaining to health development, as a consequence of the war and genocide, the health services infrastracture of the country was destroyed, and the health status of the population remains a major constraint to the socio-economic development of the country. Mortality and life expectancy figures reveal the terrible state of the country's health. Rwanda is significantly worse than the Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) average. For instance, the infant mortality rate was 131 in 1996 compared to 91 for SSA, a rise from 119 in 1992. While life expectancy was 48.5 years in 1996 compared to 54 for SSA.

Estimates of the "burden of disease" suggest that malnutrition and malaria are the two biggest killers. The 1995 nutritional survey found a very high level of chronic malnutrition (41.9% of children under 6). HIV/AIDS comes next in order of importance with an incidence rate of 12.8% in the population aged 15-49. The principal constraint to the improvement of quality of health services however, is the lack of qualified human resources: there is a significant shortage of trained health workers, and the ratio of population-to-doctors and nurses are significantly higher than the averages for Sub Saharan Africa. Low levels of sanitation and hygiene must not be forgotten as another major cause of the country's poor health.

As development is explained from economic and social perspective, there is a need to address among other social aspects, a health question which seems to be the most important issue in the development of any society. Soon after genocide of 1994, the government of Rwanda set up a reconstruction and recovery programme, and as part of this programme, the National University of Rwanda (NUR) was one of the focal points for National investment. This is in line with the government's policy for the development of social capital. It is thus in this respect, that the National University of Rwanda realises a need to establish and develop a new school of public health, that will satisfy the health needs of the Rwandan population.

The NURSPH has several comparative advantages that underpin its ability to succeed as a national, regional and international resource for health development, as it:

• Is the only School of Public Health in the country

• Is strategically situated for the study of the health effects of conflict and the management of health development in post conflict settings

• Enjoys one of the most sophisticated physical and information technology infrastructures among African institutions of higher education

• Is the only bi-lingual (French-English) School of Public Health in Africa

• Enjoys dynamic leadership, at all levels, that is committed to internationally competitive programs of study, including interdepartmental collaboration, interdisciplinary studies, and outreach to world class education and research institutions

• Enjoys the full support of the University for the development of an international Center of Excellence

The mission of the School of Public Health is to improve the health status of the population of Rwanda through graduate education and in-service training; research and service; and to become a Center of Excellence in the Great Lakes region for distance education and complex emergency/disaster management studies.

During this five year period, 2001-2005, the plan of action will emphasize the development of an institutional infrastructure to realize the school's mission together with a training and applied research strategy that will address the immediate needs in Rwanda to rapidly put in place an effective and efficient decentralized health system. Education/training and research programs will be practical and emphasize scale. The school will employ interdisciplinary and interdepartmental approaches and will leverage information technology to achieve national level impact on the health system.

The school will catalyze the development of a regional Center of Excellence within the University for the management of the health effects of disasters and complex emergencies. Initially, the school will serve as a focal point for "best practices" identification and dissemination and it will establish collaborative research with international universities that are funded by international research centers.

1. To provide education and training to national health leadership and district health teams in support of the national health plan
2. To conduct applied research to facilitate the efficiency and impact of health sector interventions
3. To contribute to the knowledge base on the management of complex emergencies and disasters and to disseminate lessons learned nationally, regionally and internationally
4. To improve the quality of public health programs in Rwanda through service activities
5. To develop an autonomous and sustainable School of Public Health

1. To provide education and training to national health leadership and district health teams in support of the national health plan:
   1. To educate at least 24 district health doctors at the masters level during the five year period
   2. To conduct at least one national training per year of district health teams
2. To conduct applied research to facilitate the efficiency and impact of health sector interventions:
   1. To establish a resource center for public health research in Rwanda
   2. To implement operations and evaluation research in support of priority health problems and programs
3. To contribute to the knowledge base on the management of complex emergencies and disasters and to disseminate lessons learned nationally, regionally and internationally:
   1. To synthesize lessons learned in managing the social and health effects of the Rwandan conflict experience
   2. To develop a research agenda that identifies important information gaps related to post conflict health development
   3. To collaborate in at least one research activity funded by an internationally recognized research agency
4. To improve the quality of public health programs in Rwanda through service activities:
   1. Each faculty member will participate in consultations to the Ministry of Health and/or key donor organizations supporting health sector work in Rwanda
   2. Demand for faculty services will increase over the five year period
5. To develop an autonomous and sustainable School of Public Health:
   1. To achieve an internationally competitive faculty of at least four full-time and four half-time members
   2. To establish administrative and management systems required to financial, material and human resources management
   3. To develop state-of-the-art information technology capacity (physical and human)
   4. To establish an increasing revenue base in training, research and service over the five year period
   5. Establish an inter-institutional Masters in Applied Development, in collaboration with Tulane University and ISED

1. Amount of revenue raised from donors for training activities
2. Percent of districts managed by MPH graduates

1. Amount of revenue raised for applied research
2. Receipt of funding for internationally competitive research in areas related to conflict studies and mental health
3. Number of publications in regional and international journals, especially related to conflict studies and mental health

1. Number of consultations provided to national health programs and number of international consultations related to conflict/recovery and mental health
2. Amount of revenue generated by faculty for consultations

1. Total revenue raised through grants, contracts and endowments
2. Successful audit record
3. Number of modules and programs available through distance methods
4. Number of users of ESP information resource center
5. Number of applicants to the MAD program

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Provide education and training to national health leadership and district health teams in support of the national health plan.

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Conduct applied research to facilitate the efficiency and impact of health sector interventions.

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Contribute to the knowledge base on the management of complex emergencies and disasters and to disseminate lessons learned nationally, regionally and internationally.

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Improve the quality of public health programs in Rwanda through service activities.

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Develop an autonomous and sustainable School of Public Health.

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Develop an autonomous and sustainable School of Public Health.