The Bishop of North Kigezi Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Onesimus Asiimwe, has today officially launched the Diocesan Community Health Insurance Scheme, an initiative aimed at exploring sustainable mechanisms for improving access to affordable and quality healthcare services for communities across the Diocese.
The launch was preceded by a training held at the Consecration Site, Emmanuel Cathedral Kinyasano, in Western Division, Rukungiri Municipality.
The training was attended by Archdeacons, all Diocesan Heads of Departments and Units, members of the Diocesan Board of Health and Social Transformation, members of the Board of Governors, the Medical Superintendent, Administrator and Accountant of North Kigezi Health Centre IV–Rugarama, all clergy under Rujumbura Archdeaconry, and all In-Charges and Administrators/Overseers of the Diocesan Health Centre IIs and IIIs.
The training was facilitated by a team from DGRV, a German organization specializing in capacity building through training and technical support for the establishment and strengthening of community cooperative schemes, including community health insurance cooperatives.
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.
The facilitators included Pamela Tumwesigye, Manager at DGRV, together with Mr. Okambo Rogers and Ms. Ankunda Agatha from the Department of Cooperatives in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.
Participants were trained in key areas required for establishing the cooperative scheme, including mobilization of members and finances, formation of leadership structures, formulation of bylaws, and the registration process of the cooperative with the Ministry.
During the training, Pamela Tumwesigye shared success stories from Ankole Diocese and North West Ankole Diocese in Mbarara and Ibanda districts respectively, where similar community health insurance schemes have enabled communities to access affordable healthcare services through collective savings and shared responsibility.
While officially launching the scheme, Bishop Asiimwe welcomed the initiative and the visiting team, expressing confidence that the programme would succeed in North Kigezi Diocese, given the positive outcomes already witnessed in Ankole and North West Ankole dioceses.
The Bishop explained that the Diocesan Community Health Insurance Scheme was intended to provide a healthcare financing mechanism that is feasible, accessible and affordable for Christians throughout the Diocese. He urged all participants to actively engage in the training and, upon returning to their respective stations, sensitize Christians about the benefits of joining the scheme.
He commended the Diocesan Health Coordinator, Dr. Edson Masiko, for initiating and coordinating the programme, noting that the Diocese continues to benefit whenever competent and knowledgeable people are entrusted with leadership responsibilities.
Bishop Asiimwe welcomed the initiative and prayed for God’s blessing upon its implementation across the Diocese.
He further encouraged Christians to embrace a culture of planning, saving and investing for the future, particularly regarding their health. He observed that unless individuals deliberately prepare for their future wellbeing, they risk facing avoidable hardships, especially when unexpected medical emergencies arise.
The Bishop noted that health challenges are often accompanied by high medical expenses, which many families struggle to meet. He explained that community health insurance enables members to meet medical bills that would otherwise be beyond their individual financial capacity.
Referring to Proverbs 27:12, he emphasized that wise people foresee danger and prepare for it, adding that financial preparedness is an act of good stewardship because the human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. He further remarked that, as the saying goes, “an aspirin taken in the name of Jesus does wonders,” emphasizing that while Christians trust God for healing, they should also make practical preparations for their health.
At the close of the launch, 30 members registered to join the Diocesan Community Health Insurance Scheme after paying the initial membership fee of UGX 30,000 each.
Membership remains open to individuals—who are required to recruit a minimum of four members—as well as groups and institutions wishing to participate in the scheme.
North Kigezi Diocese Health Cooperative – Interim Committee
1.Chairperson- Sr.Alice Kasisi Babihuga
2.Vice – Rev.Benson AMANYA
3.Treasurer – Micheal Mukiza
4.Secretary- Rev.Moses Kabarebe
5.Member – Canon Florence Katunguka
