Category: Health

The listed best hospital in the country, King Faisal Hospital may not be delivering as expected, according to the press release from the ministry of health.

A press release that highlighted Prime Minister’s visit to the hospital yesterday, does not clearly indicate the hospital’s performance but rather reflects that the hospital may have failed to deliver as expected.

Below is a press release of which igihe.com has seen.

The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has appealed to King Faisal Hospital (KFH) to strive for excellence in service delivery as one measure of meeting its ambitious mandate of becoming a highly recognized national and regional referral hospital.

The Prime Minister alongside two Cabinet Ministers and the Mayor of Kigali City toured KFH yesterday to get a first-hand account of the operations of the hospital and collectively draw measures of ensuring that the hospital meets its mission.

“The government has set out a strong mission for this hospital, for which we must achieve,” Rt. Hon. Habumuremyi told top management of KFH. “The first mission expected of you is delivery of high quality services not only to our people but to the entire region which must be motivated by the kind of medical care you offer here.”

“However, for you to be able to achieve this, the first step is to ensure that your staff understand clearly the nature of the unique mandate expected of this hospital and collectively draw measures of fulfilling it,” the Prime Minister said.

While recognizing the significant strides already achieved by the hospital, the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister singled out four crucial areas the he said needed greater attention.

These include, excellence in service delivery, clear plan for capacity building of key staff especially specialized Doctors and Nurses, introducing IT solutions in filing patient records and proper management of hospital resources.

He tasked the Ministry of Health to provide a clear roadmap for implementation of strategies aimed at meeting the above tasks, which he said should be discussed on quarterly basis at Cabinet level.

Acknowledging the new changes being introduced in the hospital, Rt. Hon. Habumuremyi also recommended a complete re-branding of the facility aimed at providing the true picture of what is taking place to counter the negative perception in the public.

“After the tour, I fully recognize the good work that is being undertaken—we only need to improve in certain areas and this is why you should think about re-branding your image,” he said.

KFH management informed the Premier of changes being implemented including their expansion plans, acquiring new equipment and introducing more specialized areas of medical care.

The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister pledged full government support to these endeavors.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Mr. Protais Musoni, Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government in charge of Social Affairs, Dr. Alvera Mukabaramba, the Mayor of Kigali City, Fidele Ndayisaba, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana and several officials.

Ends

The UNICEF Directory of Programmes from the New York Headquarters, Dr. Nicholas Alipui has commended the Rwanda’s efforts in fighting malnutrition citing Rwanda’s political will.

Alipui said that political will has played a key role in improving children’s health in the country.

The envoy made the remarks at the two-day 2nd National Nutrition Summit which has attracted participants from different African countries, UN agencies and other international organizations.

Alipui noted that Rwanda shows progress in reducing maternal and child mortality, increasing access to education , safe water and sanitation as well as ensuring rates of HIV and malaria reduction.

“Evidence here in Rwanda is that you are on track to strengthen development of institutions and recent results from your demographic and household survey show strong progress in nutrition ”.

“We observe with pride that most of this has also been enabled by the national vision of inclusiveness of all citizens in the drive towards vision 2020 and the Presidential Initiative to eliminate mulnutrition, ” he added.

The official explained that community approaches must be emphasised to increase access to health care and nutrition initiatives.

Addressing the summit, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana also said that the country is making major multi-sector efforts to translate the potential of national food security into household food security and practices that bring adequate nutrition for every family.

Under the theme, “Scaling Up of Multisectoral Nutrition Interventions: Sustaining Gains In National Efforts to Eliminate Malnutrition, ” the general outcome of this forum will translate the existing policies and strategic plans into district and national plans of action for nutrition.

Ends

United States of America permanent representative to the UN Suzan Rice has said that she was very much impressed by steps taken in Rwanda’s health sector.

The USA envoy who is in the country has just toured different departments of the Masaka Health center to witness and get first hand information about Rwanda’s progress in the sector.

As she said while addressing health center employees and different guests at the center, Rice will get back home after visiting different sectors including Education, Agriculture and health sectors to know their performance.

“I am very much impressed by steps taken and the progress made in health sector in Rwanda, I have also gone to other countries in the region, what you are doing hear is very special,” Rice said while addressing Masaka Health Center staff after touring the center.

“Thanks for the very important work you do. It is most impressive good work. Thank you for the work,” Rice wrote in the visitors’ book.

Theodosiya Mukarwego a community health worker who explained to rice how they have intervened in health development said that they have been guiding manual to refer to whenever they are trying to help children and their mothers in fighting HIV/AIDS and Malaria.

“We have received several trainings that equip us to help patients that come to us, we have hotline cell phones where they can get whether finding us home or here at the health center,” Mukarwego said while explaining how she does her work to the US envoy.

Marie-Goreth Nyirabahutu the head of Masaka Health center said that Rice’s visit was instrumental since the health center is funded by her government through Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF).

Nyirabahutu said that the health center deals with all health cases with much emphasis on HIV/AIDS testing, giving of anti-retroviral drugs, prevention of Mother-to-child HIV transmission and malaria.

The foundation (EGPAF) has supported this year’s health center budget mounting Rwf 35 million, according to Nyirabahutu.

She said that she has observed tremendous decline in malaria in the area surrounding the health center due to different strategies and policies in place to cub the disease.

“Previously we used to receive between 500-1000 but starting last year number of malaria cases begun to decrease whereby we only received 5 cases last month,” Nyirabahutu said in a separate interview with igihe.com.

Ends

New findings have indicated that as countries forge a head in development, adequate sanitation services are being undermined given the current population.

A new report ‘Off-track, off-target’ that has been released by the international charity organisation WaterAid, suggest that there are more people in the world today lacking adequate sanitation services than in 1990.

“Unless urgent action is taken, nearly all governments in Sub-Saharan African will fail to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) pledge they made to halve the proportion of people without sanitation by 2015,” The report reads in parts.

The report also suggests that it will take over two centuries for Sub-Saharan Africa to meet its sanitation MDG target.

It also indicates that only 20 countries in the region are on track to meet the water MDG target by 2015 that has massive consequences for child mortality in Africa.

“Despite Rwanda’s remarkable progress on WASH with coverage figures gradually increased over the years, spending is still low and falls short of the E-thekwini Declaration and diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of death in children under age five every year caused by poor water and sanitation,” the reports suggests.

The report states that to get the sanitation and water MDGs back on track, countries in sub-Saharan Africa need to spend at least 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on WASH services.

The report also calls on donor countries to double global aid flows to water, sanitation and hygiene by prioritising an additional US$10 billion per year.

The report also identifies that it is Africa’s poorest people who are being left behind; poor people in Africa are five times less likely to have access to adequate sanitation and over 15 times more likely to practise open defecation than Africa’s rich.

In a press release, WaterAid urged governments to tackle this inequity through better targeting of water and sanitation resources and services to the poor.

The WaterAid report highlights that the shortfall in water and sanitation services costs Sub-Saharan African countries around 5% of GDP each year ($47.7 billion in 2009), more than is provided in development aid to the entire continent ($47.6 billion in 2009).

“Every year thousands of children die in Rwanda due to a lack of adequate sanitation and clean water. This is the true cost we bear from the failure to ensure basic water and sanitation services. The Government should increase the level of spending on water and sanitation, and donor governments increase the share of aid they spend on water and sanitation, if we want to turn this situation around.” Said Nshuti Rugerinyange, WaterAid Country Representative.

It is reported that each day 2,000 children succumb to diarrhoea due to lack of safe water and inadequate sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa.

It is the biggest cause of deaths of children under the age of five in the region. Four out of ten people don’t have access to safe water, while seven out of ten people don’t have access to adequate sanitation.

At least 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world’s population.

Also 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is almost two fifths of the world’s population.

END

Following enormous complaints from different media regarding the death of a 12 year innocent girl Jessica Ishimwe Igihozo igihe.com has learnt that she died a rare genetic lung disorder called immotile Cilia Syndrome.

The findings from an investigation carried out has ascertained that Jessica Ishimwe had suffered from Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia(PCD).

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) also known as Immotile Cilia Syndrome is a rare recessive genetic lung disorder that causes a defect in the action of the tiny hair-like structures (cilia) lining in the respiratory area supposed to move mucus out of airways.

The main consequence of impaired ciliary function is reduced or absent mucus clearance from the lungs, hence susceptible to chronic recurrent respiratory infections.

Normally, cilia beat 7 to 22 times per second, and any impairment can result in poor mucociliary clearance, with subsequent upper and lower respiratory infection.

It has been reported that there is no cure for PCD, but if the disease is monitored closely and treatment begins early, people can live productive lives.

According to one independent doctor who did not want to publish his name, Jessica Ishimwe’s case was identified late and what they had to do was to prevent farther possible infections by providing oxygen 24 hours.

“It was costly to provide the twenty four hours oxygen I believe of which I think the hospital would not have opted for and that was actually the only option because the sickness is incurable, however I don’t know the details of flying and not flying possibilities for advanced hospitals abroad,” the doctor said on conditions of anonymity.

The central hospital(CHUK)’s Director Dr Theobald Hategekimana said flying Jessica Ishimwe would cost her life before the plane takes off due to atmospheric pressure when the plane takes off.

In an interview with igihe.com Dr Hategikimana, the only option was palliative treatment other than curative treatment- adding; “Jessica’s sickness was a genetic complex and there is no way doctors would remove a damaged gene causing the sickness”

“We did what we can but her sickness was very complicated than what people think even her transfer would cause more harm than good due to atmospheric pressure when the airplane is taking off which would suddenly affect her breathing and probably blocking her breathing,” Hategikimana said.

Controversies
The little innocent girl, whose plight came in spotlight early last year, died Thursday November 10, 2011 very early in the morning after enduring pain for nearly two years.

By the time the innocent girl was admitted at Kigali Central University Hospital (CHUK), local media begun a fundraising campaign for her to be transferred to advanced hospitals in cardiotherapy that would probably save her life.

The generous Rwandans managed to get the required amount for her transfer but she was not transferred reason being complexity of her sickness, according to group of doctors that followed her closely.

Despite Doctors’ explanations of the complexity of her sickness, lots of refuting views emerged from the public including her mother Bernadette Murekatete who almost entirely believed that her child would have been better if flown abroad.

In earlier interview with her mother prior her child’s tragedy, Murekatete said that there was one doctor who had told her that Jessica Ishimwe could be treated if went for advanced hospitals in Canada, UK, Belgium and France among others.

“There is a friend who is a doctor who told me that my daughter would be treated if flown outside to advanced hospitals and actually after consultations they asked me to give them a medical report but CHUK refused to provide it,” the mother of the deceased child said last year.

Meanwhile the recent science findings in July this year according to science today website, there are Artificial Cilia with hope to open new nanotech possibilities and said to be one step closer to learning how Cilia movement is coordinated.

According the website, due to the importance of ciliary functions for health, there is great interest in understanding the mechanism that controls the cilias’ beating patterns. But learning exactly how cilia movement is coordinated has been challenging.

That may be beginning to change as a result of the creation, by a team of Brandeis researchers, of artificial cilia-like structures that dramatically offers a new approach for cilia study.

In a recent paper published in the journal Science, Associate Professor of Physics Zvonimir Dogic and colleagues present the first example of a simple microscopic system that self-organizes to produce cilia-like beating patterns.

“We’ve shown that there is a new approach toward studying the beating,” says Dogic. “Instead of deconstructing the fully functioning structure, we can start building complexity from the ground up.”

However this sickness is not popular despite its complexity. It is reported that approximately 25,000 children and adults have sickness -PCD in the United States, but only 400 know it for example.

Most people have never heard of PCD including some doctors because it’s rare. Most doctors have only vague recollections of PCD from medical school and are not up to date on the realities of the disease.

The 12-year old Jessica Ishimwe Igihozo was laid to rest last Friday, as hundreds of relatives and sympathizers accompanied her family at Rusororo Cemetry, Gasabo.

Before taken to Rusororo cemetery, Jessica Ishimwe Igihozo was first taken to Inkuru Nziza Church in the city center where her last funeral mass was conducted.

May her soul rest in eternal peace.
Ends

Patients with intense health complexity will not need to be flown to India or other advanced hospitals abroad for special treatment as Rwandan government enters into agreement with one of the high level group of hospitals in India.

Complex health conditions like heart surgery, Brain surgery, Kindney transplants or lung complexes are the major health care that will be covered by these Indian based super hospitals under Appollo Hospitals group.

Rwanda represented by Health Minister Dr Agnes Binagwaho signed a memorandum of understanding with Appollo Hospitals group from India represented by group’s Chief Executive Officer Dr K Hari Prasad to bring into the country super specialty treatment and high level standard health facility.

“I believe this Memorandum of understanding is the beginning of our positive production as we a head towards shifting from health care seeking to health care provider,” Minister Binagwaho said while signing the agreement.

“Building a referral hospital for these super special health care need and have the capacity to provide qualified health personnel in the region was certainly on government’s agenda,” Binagwaho added.

On fears of conditional treatment that may emerge, Binagwaho assured Rwandan population of their safety in upcoming health provision by these Indian groups of advanced hospitals.

“My responsibility is to protect the interest of all Rwandans and secondly this agreement is a law binding that in case of any abuse Rwanda will have to stop this partnership,” Binagwaho said.

“This is a matter of competition, we agreed because this group of hospitals has a good reputation but it does not change anything on Rwandan law regarding public health, a group of doctors from Rwanda went in India and assessed them, ” She added.

The Minister said that Rwanda needed a quality co-partner so as to go towards achieving a health care provider nation and that the hospital to be built will be the best in the region which will make surrounding countries referring their patients in Rwanda.

“Rwandans have been facing a challenge of flying patients who special health care treatment abroad and also they have provided preferential tariffs in this agreement before the facility is completed,” Binagwaho added in a separate interview.

She mentioned that after the cabinet approves the deal, a proper business plan will be made to identify the amount of money needed to set up the hospital.

According to Prasad, the group of hospitals has been offering quality healthcare services and advice to several African nations and now wants to associate with Rwanda.

“Our aim is to improve health care in Rwanda like we did in India, Our country is not in a way it was in terms of health care and conditions so we have a lot to provide,” he said.

Prasad says that the health facility is of great importance since it will handle all complicated health cases like kidney transplants, cancers, heart and brain surgery and others.

The head of Kanombe Military Hospital Dr. Col. Ben Karenzi, who was among a group of doctors who visited India last month and met the management team of Apollo Hospitals to sign a Letter of Intent towards establishing the hospital in Rwanda.

Karenzi stated that due to the partnership, Apollo has accepted to give Rwandans five percent discount preferential tariff to each complicated health case for the people who will be undergoing treatment in India before Apollo Hospital is established in Rwanda.

Apollo Hospitals Group is a chain of hospitals founded by Dr. Prathap C. Reddy in 1983. It has now extended its expertise services across 53 hospitals within and outside India. It is said to be the Asia’s largest healthcare provider.

It has also been referred to as the Architect of Healthcare in India, with the help of the latest technology and exceptionally committed medical practitioners provide outstanding healthcare.

The agreement covers areas of strengthening collaboration and building a long term partnership for better healthcare services for Rwandan population, by offering super-specialist consultation services, training of medical personnel and treatment of patients in need of specialized care.

Apollo Hospitals Group will share its experience and provide its expertise to the government to establish a super specialty hospital, with intent to create a self sustainable healthcare delivery model in the country.

Ends

After complaints from the public, the Ministry of Health has released a press statement regarding the death of the 12 years old Jessica Ishimwe Igihozo and below is the statement from the Ministry of Health as sent through emails to different media houses.

PRESS STATEMENT

The unfortunate death of ISHIMWE Jessica

The Ministry of Health and University Teaching Hospital (CHUK) are
saddened by the unfortunate death of 12-year-old Jessica Ishimwe who
passed away on the morning of Thursday 10th November 2011, at the
hospital.

Ishimwe had been hospitalized in CHUK for two years suffering from a
rare and complicated genetically inherited disease with no known
preventive measures and curative treatment

Ever since this disease was diagnosed six years ago, a team of Medical
experts at CHUK has been administering supportive or palliative
treatment with expert advice from specialists coming from Europe and
North America.

Despite this treatment, the young Jessica passed away and we can only
hope that one day, Researchers and Scientists will be able to provide
health professionals with the prescription to treat this kind of
illness not only in Rwanda but across the world.

The entire health sector wishes to extend its sincere condolences to
the parents of Jessica, her friends and well-wishers during these sad
moments.

May her soul rest in eternity!

Dr. Agnes Binagwaho
Minister of Health

The New Times journalist, Gloria Anyango Iribagiza has been awarded White Ribbon Alliance voices award for having reported on maternal health and family planning.

Iribagiza has been awarded by White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood –Rwanda that is conducting a journalist’s workshop on maternal health and family planning issues.

In one-day training, Iribagiza was only given a certificate of recognition but will be flying to United Kingdom soon to pick her prize.

“I am so great full for the award given to me. This has increased my motivation to keep on creating awareness about Maternal Health.” Iribagiza said after receiving her certificate.

Asked why she finds much passion in reporting such stories Iribagiza said that Maternal Health stories were not reported before yet it affects major parts of human day today lives.

Iribagiza challenged her fellow journalists especially those in upcountry where a big part of the population affected by maternal and family planning issues so as create awareness to ensure the rate of affected people decreases.

According to Alphosina Mukarugema the chairperson of White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood –Rwanda, said that iribagiza led a team working on her desk in The New Times news paper where they reported extensively on maternal health and family planning hence contributing to its awareness.

Mukarugema who is also the president of FFPR, said that Iribagiza has been working so hard to report about maternal health while creating and increasing awareness on the program.

“She actually owned the whole program by reporting every segment, am sure the public must have been acquainted by her reporting,” Mukarugema has said in the ongoing training of journalists on maternal health and family planning.

It is said that every day 1000 women and girls, and 1000s of babies die during and after pregnancy and at child birth due to infections and complications.

The White Ribbon Alliance is an international coalition that pushes for change to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for women and newborn babies around the world.

Iribagiza published a magazine called Dreams for Rwandan daughters, which illustrated role of women in maternal health and family planning.

Rwanda has highlighted prostitution as a central area to curb HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country.

This has been pointed out by Dr Anita Asiimwe, Deputy Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) during the press briefing in preparation of annual National Paediatric Conference on children and HIV/AIDS.

The conference will focus on adolescents in the National HIV/AIDS response.

The conference which will take place November 9, to 11 in Kigali, will attract over 400 policy makers, international and national researchers, children, health care providers, development partners and different NGO’s.

Responding to igihe.com, Dr. Asiimwe said that a survey was underway across the country to mark the areas where prostitutes normally operate so that they can be gathered together and be educated about their status to make them determine their future lives.

She also said that 36% of the sex workers’ clients have turned out to be married men emphasising that proper education should be ensured.

Responding on the main objective of the forthcoming conference, Dr Asiimwe said that the conference aims at understanding the current status of the HIV epidemic and response among adolescents.

She also said it will aim at advocating for high level commitment, adolescent participation and multi-sectoral response to adolescents, HIV and recommend strategic orientations for greater focus on adolescents in the national HIV response.

Most journalists asked what is being done to the distribution of condoms in schools whereby many of the Seminary schools and institutions have cut short the programme with a view that the distribution will instead increase risks of sexual immorality.

Asiimwe responded to the questions that the Ministry of Health will work along the Ministry of Education to find possible solution to the issue.

There is a report saying that approximately 614 young girls were pregnant in schools last year which shows high risks of getting infected with the pandemic.

Ends

Information reaching igihe.com indicates that Ministry of Health is yet to present to the government research results detailing the relationship between Homosexuality and HIV prevalence in Rwanda.

The survey that begun early this year 2011 is under supervision by the Health Ministry.

However, a reliable source told this reporter that the results had been shelved saying that the officials found them ‘disturbing’ and that couldnt be made public.

The Director General of Heath Communication Centre (HCC), Arthur Asiimwe denied allegations that the research results had been shelved.

“Mr. Bigabo, this report has not been shelved or hidden from my office like you mention. It’s still under study and the principle investigator is still analyzing the data before validaing it. Keep your ears on the ground.” Asiimwe wrote in a comment he posted on the Rwanda Journalists Online Forum on Facebook last week.

“Bigabo those are rumors. As I write this, am seated next to an investigator who is still working on the document. It cannot be presented to government before sectoral validation.” said Asiimwe who was contributing to a topic on the Forum that requested contributors to provide information on Homosexuality and HIV in Rwanda.

The Executive Secretary of Rwanda National AIDS Control Commission (CNLS) Dr. Anita Asiimwe added that the research is ongoing and will soon be presented to partners for validation.

However, Dr. Asiimwe couldn’t share any information from the findings citing that it was against the research policy.

“At this moment I can’t say anything since the report is being handled by the ministry of health,” she remarked.

When contacted the Health Minister Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, she said, “I’m in a meeting”. When insisted Binagwaho said; “ Wrong Rumors”.

In related development, the Prime Minister of Britain David Cameron has threatened to consider withholding aid from countries that do not recognise Homosexuality rights.

Cameron told Commonwealth leaders in Perth, Australia after they failed to adopt reforms on the Gay rights issue.

“Britain is now one of the premier aid givers in the world. We want to see countries that receive our aid adhering to proper human rights, and that includes how people treat gay and lesbian people,” Cameron said.

“British aid should have more strings attached, in terms of do you persecute people for their faith or their Christianity, or do you persecute people for their sexuality. We don’t think that’s acceptable.”

Asked on whether UK aid to Rwanda will be withheld under the lack of recognition of Gay rights, Rwanda’s Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama said, “I cant comment of UK business”.

Karugarama emphasised that the Rwandan constitution doesn’t discriminate against any sexual orientation.

Cameron insisted the issue of gay rights had been discussed at the summit and he had personally raised it with “a number of the African countries that I’ve been speaking with,” although he would not say which ones.

“We’ve been raising the issue consistently, we’ve been raising it here at this Commonwealth heads of government (summit),” he said.

However, Cameron said change would not happen overnight, saying: “They are in a different place from us on this issue. I think these countries are all on a journey and it’s up to us to try and help them along on that journey.”

Responding to Cameron’s statement, Karugarama said, “We (Rwanda) don’t have a special law on homosexuality. We (Rwanda) treat everyone equal; however, the problem is when sex is used immorally”.