Rwanda Offers Free Treatment to People Struggling With Alcohol Dependence

Rwanda’s government is telling people struggling with alcohol dependence to come forward for treatment, with recovery possible through the country’s public health system. The appeal directs them to the toll-free 114 health hotline or the nearest public health facility.

The message, issued Thursday by the Office of the Government Spokesperson, forms part of the Sobanukirwa campaign, whose name means “Get informed.” It asks whether someone can be “captured by alcohol” and still receive treatment and recover. The government’s answer is yes.

The announcement does not establish a new hospital or a separate programme offering treatment to everyone with alcohol dependence. Instead, it aims to make people aware that existing services can help. The 114 hotline, operated by the Ministry of Health and the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, provides health information and referrals, including for substance-use problems. Public health centres and other government facilities also offer routes to care.

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Alcohol dependence is a health problem that can be treated.

The campaign comes as Rwanda steps up its response to harmful drinking and illicit or contaminated alcoholic products. The government has linked dozens of deaths and more than 100 cases of blindness in 2026 to unsafe products. Authorities have shut illegal production facilities, recalled dangerous drinks and prosecuted people involved in their manufacture and sale.

Officials have also increasingly described addiction as a health problem rather than only a law-enforcement issue. Rehabilitation centres have reported more young people seeking help for alcohol- and drug-related problems. The appeal was issued as social media reports said Rwandan socialite Mbabazi Shadia, known as Shaddyboo, had left Isange Rehabilitation Centre in Huye after about two months of treatment and returned home.

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captured by alcohol