Category: Health

Rwandan patients will benefit from specialised surgical operations conducted by a group of visting Egyptian medical experts expected in the country soon.

The Egyptian team is targeting 150 surgical operations during their one week stay in Rwanda under the auspices of Rwanda and Egyptian ministries of Health.

Recently a group of Indian physicians were in the country where they performed successful specialised surgical operations on Rwandan patients.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Health of Rwanda, the move is part of a cost effective way that the Ministry has adopted in treating complicated cases, where it has less expertise and which would normally have been referred abroad.

The Egyptian physicians include 6 distinguished surgeons in the field of laparoscopic, pediatric, maxillofacial and plastic, gynecology and obstetrics surgery.

The team will conduct surgery operations at Kigali University Central Teaching Hospital CHUK and in Muhima hospitals.

The Egypt-Rwanda health cooperation was renewed during the visit of the Egypt’s Foreign Minister to Rwanda on January 2012.

During these operations, the Egyptian Surgeons will work hand-in-hand with their Rwandan counterparts to share experiences and learn from one another.

The Ministry of Health has prepared all logistical support and basic necessities for the success of the visiting medical team.

Consider what you want to do and what suits your lifestyle for now — you may be young and single, with a partner, had a child, spacing your family or have completed your family and want to use contraception up to the menopause.

Remember to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases — if in doubt, use a condom. What you need to know about depo provera.

The most common injectable hormonal contraceptive is Depo-Provera, a synthetic hormonal substance also known as DMPA (Depot-MedroxyProgesterone Acetate) that is injected into the muscle in the upper arm or buttocks every three months.

Another, shorter-acting injectable hormone, norethdrone enanthate, is injected at a higher dose every two months.

Injectable hormones prevent pregnancy by suppressing ovulation; by making it more difficult for the sperm to swim through the cervical mucus; and by destroying the endometrial lining of the uterus, keeping fertilised eggs from implanting.

DMPA is a safe and highly effective contraceptive.

The success rate for women using DMPA is 99.7 percent.
It reduces menstrual cramps, iron-deficiency anaemia, and the risk for endometrial cancer.

A disadvantage of DMPA is that it requires visits to the doctor or other health care professional every 3 months.

Its side effects include:

• Abdominal discomfort

• Dizziness

• Hair loss

• Headaches

• Irregular bleeding

• Loss of bone density

• Mood changes

• Nervousness

• Weakness or fatigue

• Weight gain

NB: Always discuss with your doctor about the best contraception available for you before shifting from one method to another. —

Source: net doctor

Malaria continues to mutate and becoming more resistant to the widely used medicines. Health Experts discourage self treatment insisting patients be tested before any malaria drugs are prescribed.

Experts warn that a resistant strain of malaria could be reportedly spreading in East Africa. It’s alleged that Self-treatment could make malaria drugs less effective.

Blood samples collected from foreigners who had visited Kenya and other countries in Africa between 2008 and 2011 have shown the parasite is building resistance to a key ingredient in malaria medicines called artemether.

Malaria has been resistant to widely used medicines for the past eight years.

The medicines that are derived from a compound called ARTEMISININ, was thought to have been contained in a small area on Thailand’s border with Cambodia and Myanmar.

However, results released on Friday indicate that the difficult to treat strain has either spread to Kenya and other countries in Africa or the local parasite has developed resistance.

According to the study by researchers at St George’s University in London published in the Malaria Journal, of the 28 samples tested 11 were resistant to artemether, some as high as 50%.

Rwandan men could make money without having to labour much as Ugandan men are reportedly making money from donating their sperms to fertility clinics.

However, details have not been disclosed relating to how much a man makes from donating his sperms and quantity of sperm collected.

It has not been established how much women have to pay for the donor sperm. However, it’s alleged that the amount of money also depends on the type of sperm donor a woman wants to father her kid.

This follows the increasing demand for donor sperm by wealthy Ugandan women who are reportedly not interested in engaging in a relationship with men but prefer pursuing their professional careers without experiencing the challenges of a relationship.

According to a Ugandan Daily most women, who are resorting to Artificial Insemination Using Donor Sperm (AID) to get babies are aged between 25 and 45 years.

Dr. Prakash Patel, a Gynaecologist at the Fertility Endoscopy Clinic in Kampala said, most of the women who are opting for artificial insemination are from the urban corporate class.

“Women today, are more educated and career oriented and therefore do not have much time on their hands. That is why you see some of them waking up at a much later age to have children,” Patel said.

Some women resort to using Donor Sperm after discovering that they have infertile partners who desperately want to have children as well.

Patel said that according to the international law, every fertility clinic is required to limit every sperm donor to no more than eight children.

However, Patel said the identity of the sperm donor still remains a confidential matter.

“Before women or couples go through the AID process, they sign documents saying they cannot ask for the identity of their sperm donor and the reverse is true for the donor.”

“He cannot even ask questions like where his sperms have been used to fertilize which woman” .

Artificial insemination is a treatment for infertility, when a couple cannot conceive a baby. It involves directly inserting sperm into a woman’s womb.

“In case the half-brother and half-sister resulting from sperm donation have children, there is a high chance of genetic abnormalism and incest among those children,” he explained.

“Society cannot have 1000 children looking similar both physically and genetically. The variation of the human race has to continue,” he added.

There is a strict criterion in which a person first goes through before they become a sperm donor. These include thorough check-ups on the family history, hereditary diseases like diabetes and sickle cells, mental problems, and physical behaviors.

He should be a person who neither drinks nor smokes. Such a person must also be intelligent and must have good hobbies, according to Dr. Patel.

In Nyagatare, a teenager identified as Tumusime Dan 12 reportedly died from eating cattle meat which was suffering from Black Quarter disease. 14 others have been admitted.

The incidence occurred at Kabare 2 village, Nsheke in Nyagatare district.

Black quarter disease also refered to as Blackleg, is an acute infectious disease of cattle manifested by severe inflammation of the muscle.

Since the admission of 14 people to hospital, 3 have remained hospitalised, 11 have so far been discharged.

Nzabandora Eliazar has been discharged from the Hospital. He noted that he first developed severe stomach cramps, malaria and diarrhoea.

Ndazigaruye Gervais, a veterinary Doctor in Nyagatare district, told Press in the area that the tests and the symptoms manifested by the patients, concluded that they had eaten meat of cattle suffering from black quarter disease.

A new partnership has been announced bringing together Health Store Holdings (HSH), Family Health (OFH) Foundation, GSK, Ecobank and the Rwandan Ministry of Health.

The partnership is aimed at establishing 240 health posts across Rwanda over the next three years.

The innovative partnership aims at increasing access to high quality essential medicines and basic healthcare for about two million people every year in rural Rwanda.

This is the first step in an overall ambition to create up to 500 health posts in Rwanda over the next seven years as per a public-private partnership between the Ministry of Health and HSH, and in alignment with the Rwandan Government’s Vision 2020.

This health post model, known as Child and Family Wellness (CFW) Health Posts, will operate under a business-format franchise network.

They will be run by experienced nurses providing an entry point into the formal Rwandan public health system.

This franchise model, which has been successfully piloted in Kenya, will give nurses joining the franchise access to finance and training in finance management, enabling them to earn a living whilst also increasing access to high quality essential medicines and basic healthcare for their local communities.

GSK has already committed £900,000 to HSH to get an initial 60 health posts up and running. Under the terms of the new partnership, GSK will provide £1.8million in new funding as an interest free loan to enable HSH expand the franchise network by a further 180 health posts.

The Rwandan Ministry of Health will facilitate the availability of designated physical structures for CFW Health Posts and specifications as required under this Partnership.

Negotiations are at an advanced stage within Ecobank for nurses buying into the franchise to receive loans at affordable rates through Donor subsidies.

Both GSK and Ecobank will contribute to a bursary to enable continued nurse training and development. HSH, the for-profit entity behind the franchise, will provide ongoing training, mentoring and expertise to support the nurse franchisees.

The Minister of Health Dr. Agnes Binagwaho hailed the partnership saying it would add value to the quality of health care provided and bring health care services closer to the communities.

“With this partnership, we are assured of quality of health care extended to our people including more accessibility to drugs especially in remote areas which eventually leads to our ultimate goal of having a healthy population for economic development,” Binagwaho said.

YOGA is an ancient system of health and fitness that originated in India improves physical well being.

“Yoga is an excellent activity for people who haven’t exercised in years or those who aren’t very strong,” says Dr. Suzie Bertisch, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Bertisch has studied the benefits of yoga and other mind-body techniques. A promising body of research suggests that yoga’s combination of stretching, gentle activity may have special benefits for people with cardiovascular and many other diseases.

According to recent scientific medical research conducted in Europe and The United States, people who regularly participate in Yoga exercises which involves the stretching of the muscles through certain poses or postures, improve circulation, stimulate the abdominal organs, and put pressure on the glandular system of the body, which can generally result to better health.

Yoga includes various postures, each posture enabling the body to heal itself by improving one’s immunity and hence live longer. Each posture has special benefits to each part of the body.

Olivier Biraro, a yoga practitioner in Rwanda says: “I am experiencing a very happy life because of yoga. When I have flu for instance, I practice a certain posture and it disappears. And since I have made it a regular practice, becoming sick has become a myth to me”

Yoga practices, which in some ways contribute in mental and bodily balance, many report improved diet and weight loss. They also report increased relaxation and calm which help manage their daily stress at work.
Biraro continues saying’’ one posture named ’the arrow’ has the following advantages

This posture gives a good massage to the abdomen so it cures prolonged constipation, dyspepsia and other diseases of the stomach.
It cures spinal hump and rheumatism of the legs, the knees and the hands.
It also cures gas and other intestinal disorders.

Yoga, currently practiced by a minor number of people in Africa and increasingly being embraced in the Western and eastern world, is contributing and working in hand with and as an alternative with modern medicine to prevent before hand diseases caused by the dearth of body exercises, and good diet in improving the well being of a human being as a whole (mind and body).

Operation smile is a global non-profit medical group that provides free reconstructive surgery to children and adults with cleft lips or cleft palates in dozens of countries worldwide.

Operation Smile’s Rwanda team is made up of volunteer doctors from 10 different countries. They perform reconstructive surgery for people with cleft palates or cleft lips.

A cleft lip is a hole in the lip that has caused the lip to not fully form, and a cleft palate is a hole in the roof of the mouth.

Patients from every corner of Rwanda made the journey to the capital of Kigali for a chance at this procedure. Emmanuel whom is seven months old, is the youngest patient at Kigali’s Central University Hospital.

South African Conrad Pienaar,is the plastic surgeon who will be performing some of these operations, in one of his operations, he describe the operation to a journalist from VOA what happens once a patient is under anaesthesia .

“I’m repairing a kiddy with a cleft pallet. He had a bi-lateral or unilateral-cleft lip, as well as palate, and on one of the previous missions his lip has been repaired and now the second stage is closing up the whole palate.”

“This one is going very well and we’re almost done. We wonder why do we close up the palate and there’s essentially three reasons: the palate is very important for normal speech; and for eating and drinking; an then also for hearing,” said Pienaar.

Rwandan patients who do not have access to advanced surgeries can benefit from Operation Smile.

Dr. Amie Lokulutu of the Democratic Republic of Congo is the Regional Director for Operation Smile. He said the organization’s missions throughout the world, including those in Rwanda and other parts of Africa, have been a success.

“We’ve been in Rwanda since 2009. We’ve already performed two missions and this is the third one, surgeries for about 200,000 patients around the world in 60 countries, 13 African countries have already been succesful” he said.

Here in Rwanda, Operation Smile has performed more than 500 surgeries to date.

Following the recent incidence where a mother in labour pain gave birth to her baby in the hospital corridor after waiting for a doctor in vain, the management of Muhima hospital has henceforth suspended a Nursing officer that was on duty.

The Ministry of Health in a press release has welcomed a decision taken by Hospital management to suspend a Nursing officer over poor handling of an expectant mother as the entire sector intensifies campaigns to stamp out poor patient care.

Though the expectant mother came to the hospital quite late, a team investigating the incidence also found out that the Nurse failed to promptly provide basic care to the expectant mother, leaving her to give birth under circumstances that are totally unacceptable within the Health sector.

“Good care is right for every person seeking services from our facilities,” said Dr. Agnes Binagwaho Minister of Health. “Extending this good care is also one of the key principles that define our profession especially as health service providers.”

“Much as the general survey done by the Rwanda Governance Board gave an approved service delivery rate of 75%, we MUST put in more effort in polishing up areas that continue to show weaknesses.

“Incidents where it is proved that there was clear professional negligence or failure to handle patient/customers in a manner expected of us as professionals is not something the sector will tolerate.” the Minister said.

The Minister also called upon the general public not to wait for the last minute to seek treatment or services from health facilities as the case was with the expectant mother. She emphasized that where cases of negligence happen, the public should quickly inform management of health facilities or the Ministry directly through a toll free line of 114.

Noting a general improvement in service delivery within the sector, the minister called upon health care providers to put in more effort in serving their clients better.

“Even a smile on our faces counts a lot,” she said.
Muhima hospital suspended the Nurse for a period of one month.

FARG ordered her to leave hospital without her being fully recovered
Uwamwezi M. Claire is one of the 1994 Tutsis’ Genocide survivors. She has spent a long-time suffering from the 1994 genocide injuries.

She has been hospitalised at King Fysal Hospital where FARGE has been responsible for her medical fees.

When she talked to IGIHE, she felt grateful for the government of Rwanda for it did the best for her healing. However, she says she is bothered by those who want to transfer her to India against her wishes.

As India is not credible, she says. She wants rather to be transferred to Belgium.

From FARGE’s letter to Uwamwezi, it says’ according to the commission in charge of transferring patients to foreign countries, she is to be transferred to India.’

She has been removed from the hospital because she spends an enormous amount of money.

According to that letter, the money spent on her is too much and could be spent on other patients.

Uwamwezi says it has been a shock to her, since the doctor is the one to decide if the patient is to be discharged from the hospital.

Gatayire Marie Claire, the 2nd vice president of IBUKA says she has also been stunned by FARGE decision. She says FARGE has no right to send the patient away if she has not yet fully recovered.

In relation to support, Gatayire adds” we consult with one another in helping her being transferred to foreign countries”

The executive secretary of FARG Théophile Ruberangeyo, announced to IGIHE that they often advised Uwamwezi to go where she has been transferred and that they made the right decision for her and chose the right place, but she rejected it.

He adds’ many patients have been transferred to India fully recovered including even among leaders’

Ruberangeyo adds that they sent her the letter to advise her to go to India, but she refused the offer and they cannot keep paying the medical fees for a person who is not being cured.

For her current living conditions, Ruberangeyo says that they provide her a living allowance of Frw 50,000 a month whereas others get Frw 5000 a month.

He adds’ she is ours, and if she wants to make a fundraising to go where she wants I will be supportive’.

She begs the authority to be at her side

Uwamwezi left the hospital at 11 pm, but she found her home empty. Her home faces the Area Sector’s office. Uwamwezi says she now has nothing to live on, everything has been stolen.

Uwamwezi had been permitted to be transferred to Belgium on 01 December 2009. She suffered severe injuries as the aftermath of 1994 genocide where she has had been stabbed in the middle of her breasts and the back which resulted into the wound of her left lung.

This caused her illness to be incurable, as proven in the report by Dr E. Musabyeyezu. The right lung is also being attacked.

Uwamwezi beganher treatment from King Faysal hospital since 2007 after attempting various hospitals.

She was discharged from King Faysal after recovering but continued to experience hardship in breathing and her head swelled and went back to King Faysal, and realised her lungs were affected. Her lungs exceeded King Faysal ability and hence required foreign transfer.

She is requesting for financial help to her cure her disease. Cash can be deposited on Bank of Kigali Account 00040028462762.