Category: Health

{{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.}}

{{Hatari Desire is a Rwandan whose life is hanging on a thread. He desperately needs help. He needs a Kidney and Cash to be able to have his faulty kidney replaced at a hosipital in India.}}

Hatari suffers from a kidney disease and is seeking a Frw1.5 million for treatment so that he can live longer.

Born in 1989 in the District of Mbuye Ruhango, Hatari has suffered from kidney disease for four years. He changed several hospitals to no avail.

He first began with the hospital Kabgayi CHUK hospital for the time he was hospitalized at the National University Hospital of Butare (CHUB) where he is on dialysis three times a week.

Since doctors have confirmed, his kidneys cannot be restored except replacing them, Alphonse Ngarambe, the patient’s father, has promised to give him his kidney after medical tests confirmed that Hatari can receive a kidney from his dad.

The operation costs about 15 million Rwandan francs but the Rwandan government has decided to pay 85% through the Ministry of Health.

The 15% (Frw 2.5 million) must be paid by Hatari, who said he could find only one million by selling his plot.”I need a million and a half to go to the doctor in India” Hatari pleaded.

Hatari received a certificate from the Ministry of Health showing that he needs help so he can seek treatment.

Any One that needs to contribute can deposit cash on the account at Banque Populaire Number:{{ 441340168211 BPR.}}

As part of his life expectancy, Hatari anticipate that it would be better to not exceed the month of May.

{{A mother has reportedly given birth to her baby in the corridor at Muhima hospital after failing to get attention from a doctor. She allegedly waited for thirty minutes without receiving any attention.}}

However, the story claims have been refuted by Muhima Hospital Authorities.

This comes at a time when poor service delivery is a contentious matter where the Prime Minister individually makes surprise supervisory visits to several public and private institutions.

The Prime Minister recently demanded Hospitals to scaleup the quality of service rendered to citizens and citizens have been urged to demand for better services.

The Information obtained by the National Broadcaster indicates that Muhima hospital authorities refuted the claims saying the mother might have been brought to hospital in final minutes of labour.

ORINFOR reportedly talked to her husband on telephone and he confirmed that he spent thirty minutes seeking a doctor at the hospital but in vain. He adds that he also requested for a wheel chair to carry his wife.

It’s alleged that other patients decided to establish a makeshift private area with women wrappers (kitenge) in the corridor and helped the mother give birth to her baby.

It is also reported that in the corridor there were patients waiting when a doctor (requested anonymity) emerged to check on one of the patients but noticed the incidence of the woman giving birth.

Dr. Jules Mushingatahe in charge of Muhima hospital says the claims by the mother are untrue because doctors arrived to pick her but found she had already given birth in the corridor.

Dr. Mushingantahe advises expectant mothers to always visit the hospital early enough whenever they get signals of labour.

The mother and the baby are currently being taken care of at the hospital and that they are all in good health.

Source ORINFOR

{{A study has revealed that every year 60,000 abortions are carried out in Rwanda. And that abortion is responsible for most deaths of mothers and infants.

The research was conducted by the ministry of Health in collaboration with the American Guttmacher Institute and the national university of Rwanda.}}

The study also revealed that in 25 every 1000 women between ages of 15 and 44, carryout abortion every year. Most of the abortions are due to unwanted pregnancies.

The study also disclosed that a third of women are affected by post abortion health complications do not receive fitting medical care.

The study also shows that most abortions are carried out by traditional healers without professional expertise. Such traditional healers operate in poor hygiene and poor equipment.

Most reasons provided by women who seek traditional healers to carryout abortion is due to the fact that abortion is illegal according to Rwandan law. Abortion is responsible for several deaths of mothers and infants.

{{The Lancet medical journal has revealed that 37% of commercial sex workers in Uganda have HIV thus Uganda sex workers have one of the highest rates of HIV infections in the world. The Lancet is an international medical journal. }}

The four-year survey funded by the World Bank and the United Nations Population Fund ranked Uganda as one of the countries where sex workers had a higher HIV prevalence than other women.

The Lancet revealed that some 99,878 female sex workers in 50 countries (14 in Asia, four in Eastern Europe, 11 in Latin America and the Caribbean, one in the Middle East and 20 in Africa), were subjects in the study conducted between January 1, 2007 and June 25, 2011.

Results of the study, which was led by Dr. Stefan Baral of the US-based John Hopkins School of Public Health, were released on Thursday.

The study assessed the burden of HIV compared to that of other women of reproductive age and found that the burden is disproportionately high and concluded that there is an urgent need to scale up access to quality HIV prevention programs for sex workers.

Sex workers in most of Africa had substantially higher levels of HIV than other women, posting more than 20% of prevalence.

Of all the prostitutes in the 50 countries, those in sub-Saharan Africa had the highest HIV prevalence.

Only two of the African countries studied, Egypt and Madagascar, had zero HIV rates among women who sell sex.

{{In every six seconds one person dies from a tobacco related disease. This amounts to 5million deaths globally every year.

The alarming statistics are contained in a new report released March 15th by the UN World Health Organization (WHO), entitled “Mortality Attributable to Tobacco”.}}

Dr.Ala Alwan, the UN WHO Assistant Director-General in charge of Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health says, “Unless strong actions are taken to halt the tobacco epidemic, one billion people are projected to die this century – we cannot let this happen. All countries should implement the Convention on tobacco control.”

The report shows that 5% of all deaths from communicable diseases worldwide and 14 % of deaths resulting from non-communicable illnesses among adults aged 30 and above were attributable to tobacco use.

Globally, each year Tobacco use is responsible for 5 million (12%) of all deaths of adults above the age of 30.

For the first time, a United Nations report provides estimated mortality rates attributable to tobacco for 2004, the year before the international treaty on tobacco came into force.

In 2005 the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into effect. It requires parties to restrict tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion. It also set new labeling and clean indoor air controls and strengthening laws against tobacco smuggling.

“Although many people associate tobacco with non-communicable diseases such as cancers, heart and respiratory diseases, tobacco is also a major cause of communicable diseases – tuberculosis being a case in point where the disease is at times in latent or dormant state until activated by tobacco use,” said Dr. Alwan, says in his forward message in the report.

Globally, deaths from tobacco-related cardiovascular diseases were more likely to occur among younger adults. 38% of deaths of adults resulting from ischemic heart disease in the 30-44 age group were attributable to tobacco, while 71 % of all lung cancer deaths were linked to the use of tobacco.

The report contains country-specific estimates including death rates attributable to tobacco. It is intended to help countries assess the mortality of tobacco use and measure the success of efforts to discourage the use of the substance.

It follows the 2008 WHO report on the issue, which prompted some Member States to request the agency to consider generating estimates to give them an indication of their progress in combating tobacco use.

The regions with the highest number of deaths related to the use of tobacco are the Americas and Europe where tobacco use has been in use longer, according to the report.

{{Police in Nyamasheke district have arrested a suspected fraudulent physician Munyantore Aloys who allegedly administered an injection to Ayonabonye Joséphine 50, that later died.}}

The Incident happened at Kanjongo, Kagano in Nyamasheke district.

Residents in the area have been advised to seek professional medical services at gazette health centers and avoid fraudsters that claim to be doctors.

Although the postmoterm results havnt been made public, Ayonabonye had on 8th March received an injection from Munyantore .

Munyantore had previously worked at Gisakura health center but was suspended due to his improper conduct and he later began illegally treating patients from his home.

Munyantore is accused of injecting a peneciline Extencelline injection despite being warned by other doctors not to do so earlier.