By: Dianah Mutimura
There have been unfounded allegations that nurses in Rwanda hospitals have poor customer care and some even wonder whether it is their profession. Igihe.com had an exclusive interview with Ms. Muhawenimana Immaculate a Nurse at CHUK who said it’s not professional for those who act weirdly .
Muhawenimana: Tell us your name and background?
Muhawenimana: Am called Muhawenimana Immaculate. I was born in DR Congo. I won’t mention my age but Iam happily married with no children so far and I come from a family of six children; Am proud to be the second last.
Igihe.com:What inspired you to become a nurse?
Muhawenimana: My inspiration came from the village I was born and living in Congo where healthcare was too poor and I would feel very bad when I saw how physicians were treating my father when he was sick. That is when I decided to join the profession.
Igihe.com:This job requires training and experience. Tell us how your training and experience fulfill this requirement? (laughs…..)
Muhawenimana: After my secondary school, I joined the institute of nursing in DRcongo and graduated with an Advanced Diploma and that is when we had to come back to Rwanda but I did not stop from there. I registered for a diploma and later pursued a bachelors Degree in nursing and by that time I was working with the minister of health. I also did a Masters. So far am working with Kigali hospital (CHK) as a Midwife and I supervise gynecology section.
Igihe.com: What are the challenges you face and how do you overcome them?
Muhawenimana: The challenges are not many apart from having few rooms for sick people and especially those ones that want private rooms and sometimes when we try to explain, they don’t understand, some can insult you more especially when they are in labour pains. However, we understand them as required by our professional code of conduct.
Igihe.com: Do you enjoy what you do?
Muhawenimana: I enjoy it very much. I really love my job because I feel responsible for one’s health and obliged to help them as I said before, saving people was the reason why I joined this profession.
Igihe.com: What is the scariest situation you have gone through as a nurse?
Muhawenimana: I cannot tell because you can never do this job when you have fear for it requires you to be courageous and strong.
There are cases where patients complain that you don’t have customer care where you consider one’s status, mistreatment of patients, taking long to give out services, being too impolite to them, and having professional ethics.
I have never experienced those cases here but if there are some nurses who are nervous, that is not professional. However, in medical ethics, you swear to save any one’s life without considering any challenges.
Igihe.com: Most village women who are pregnant and don’t have medical insurance come here. Do you attend to them when they come to deliver or you ignore them?
Muhawenimana: You can never leave a person to die even if it’s you that has found someone very sick by the road side and just ignore them. Unless you are not a human being. For example, some women come with their transfer forms from other health centers for treatment of different diseases but go into labor pain and we treat them.
Igihe.com: Whats most common cause of death of women giving birth or after birth?
Muhawenimana:Death is mostly caused by over bleeding when the hospital has not enough equipment. There is also hypertension and heart attack/stroke.
However, in today’s medicine, these incidences are few, especially in referral hospitals.
The carelessness of a woman can also lead to her death when she fears to push the baby and continue to push slowly she can end up dying and the baby too.
Igihe.com: Do you have enough equipment at this hospital?
Muhawenimana: The most essential equipment are available. However, there are some that expire or go beyond repair but there is always a solution to all problems.
Igihe.com: What should be the first Aid when a woman gives birth from home and what advice do you give them?
Muhawenimana: A woman to give birth at home I don’t support it because you cannot go into labor pain and give birth immediately. It takes at least four hours and all the government or each health center has an ambulance but if it happiness mostly old women from the village know what to do. However, I can advise them after giving birth to always rush to hospital for a checkup for both the baby and mother, because sometimes they can lose their lives.
Igihe.com: What should be the role of men when their wives are giving birth?
Muhawenimana: Men should be there with them at the hospitals even if in some hospitals men are not allowed to enter when their wives are giving birth. As for me I would advise them to enter and see the pain their wives go through instead of being out in bars with friends and send family members to be there.
Igihe.com: There are many females who fear to specialize in that profession what advice would you give to them?
Muhawenimana: All I can tell them is to follow their hearts and what they love most and be determined to achieve it, and if you love something go for it without fear and always pray to God to show them clear destination.
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