At 31 years old, Samuel thought he had reached the end of his life. Paralyzed from the waist down and without a diagnosis, he returned home to Rwanda from Uganda, convinced he was going to die.
“I told myself, if I am going to die, let it be near my family, not as a burden to strangers,” he recalled.
Samuel had been working as a motorcycle taxi driver in Uganda when he became seriously ill in 2022. He sought care at several clinics, but his condition continued to worsen. Eventually, he lost the use of his lower limbs and could no longer care for himself. With the help of church members, he made his way back to Rwanda and was admitted to a hospital in Kigali. For six months, he remained there while doctors were still investigating his illness. By the time he was discharged, Samuel had depleted all his savings.
Three months later, he in his home district of Kirehe, and still without a diagnosis or treatment, Samuel sought support from Inshuti Mu Buzima, as PIH is known in Rwanda, for its support for patients unable to afford care.
That marked the beginning of his journey with PIH’s Right to Health Care (RTHC) program, which ensures that people living in poverty can access medical services without financial barriers. In just two months, a PIH-supported doctor diagnosed Samuel with extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, a form of TB that affects parts of the body outside the lungs.
“I still remember the day the doctor told me that he had found the diagnosis,” Samuel said. “I was happy to finally know what I was suffering from, and I had hope again when they told me it was a curable disease.”
Through the RTHC program, PIH covered the cost of his medications, provided transportation to and from hospitals in Kigali, and arranged advanced diagnostic services including an MRI.
More than two years had passed between the beginning of his symptoms and receiving the correct diagnosis and treatment. By last year, after nearly two years of medication and physiotherapy, Samuel was no longer confined to bed. He could walk short distances, carry up to four kilograms, bathe, cook, and manage basic daily tasks on his own Saactivities he once thought impossible.
“Partners In Health gave me back my life,” he said. “Even if we had sold everything we owned, we could not have afforded the care I received. I am who I am today because of PIH. For that, I will always be thankful.”
In the 2024–2025 period alone, PIH’s Right to Health Care program supported more than 1,500 patients across three districts in Rwanda, providing financial, social, and logistical support to ensure that health care is truly a human right for everyone.
