Rwanda plans nationwide expansion of legal abortion services at health centres

Rwanda Biomedical Centre(RBC) is preparing to extend legal abortion services to health centres nationwide after a pilot programme in four districts recorded hundreds of women and girls accessing care closer to their communities.

The proposed expansion is expected to bring services closer to communities, potentially reducing the distance patients must travel to access care at designated health facilities.

The pilot programme was implemented at 43 health centres in Musanze, Karongi, Rwamagana and Ruhango districts, where between 900 and 1,000 women and girls accessed legal abortion services during the 2025/26 financial year.

Dr François-Régis Cyiza, Director of the Health Facilities Programmes Unit in RBC’s Maternal, Child and Community Health Division, said the programme had demonstrated that health centres could provide the services appropriately.

The planned expansion comes as the number of people accessing legal abortion services in Rwanda continues to rise. According to RBC, 3,200 women and girls received the services in the 2025/26 financial year, compared with between 1,800 and 2,200 annually in previous years.

“Comparing the figures with those of three years ago, before June 2025, we found that between 1,800 and 2,200 people received legal abortion services at health facilities each year,” Cyiza said during discussions with journalists on October 9.

“However, last year, the number of people who sought legal abortion services reached 3,200. This represents an increase of about 1,000 people compared with previous years.”

Cyiza attributed the increase partly to changes in the legal framework and improved access to services, explaining that care had previously been concentrated mainly in public and private hospitals and polyclinics.

“Between 900 and 1,000 people received the services at health centres during the last financial year, from July 2025 to June 2026,” he said, referring to the pilot programme.

Under the model, a trained nurse or midwife receives the patient, conducts an initial assessment and arranges the necessary tests. The results are entered into an electronic system and reviewed by a doctor at a hospital before a decision is made on providing the service. This arrangement allows health centres to participate in service delivery while maintaining medical oversight by doctors.

Rwanda amended its ministerial regulations in December 2024 to allow authorised public and private health centres to provide abortion services, alongside hospitals and polyclinics. Facilities must meet the applicable requirements and obtain the necessary authorisation.

However, abortion remains legally permitted only under specific circumstances outlined in Rwanda’s legal framework. These include pregnancies involving minors, those resulting from rape, forced marriage or incest within the legally specified degree of kinship, and pregnancies that pose a risk to the life or health of the pregnant woman or the foetus.