Category: Health

{Rwanda is hosting a two day meeting gathering the Chiefs/ Directors of Health Services from the EAC Partner States’ Armed Forces. }

The meeting that opened on 9th February 2016 is aimed at sharing information on notifiable diseases and at seeing how EAC Armed Forces can cooperate in joint surveillance and control of epidemics.

“We are arranging plans so that we can cooperate in case there is any disaster/epidemic emerging in any country within EAC Partner States”, said the Chairperson of the meeting, Brig Gen. Dr Denis Janga, the Chief Medical Services in Tanzania People’s Defence Forces.

Brig Gen. Dr Janga noted that so far any disease calling for joint action has been registered, but indicated that they were strengthening preparation to insure that if any disaster or epidemic comes, they are ready to work together and protect the community in the region.

Rwanda is represented in the meeting by a team of Medical Personnel led by Brig. Gen Dr Emmanuel Ndahiro, the Commandant of Rwanda Military Hospital.

The meeting of the Chiefs/ Directors Health Services of the EAC Partner States Armed Forces has been convened in accordance with Article II of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Defence.

Directors of the Health Services of the EAC Partner States Armed Forces meet twice a year on rotational basis in one of the five EAC Partner States.

The ongoing meeting is also attended by Defence Liaison Officers from EAC Partner States.

{A party of 35 medical specialists from England and German are in the country to conduct free surgical operations on 560 patients with hernia and those with scars and cleft lips. They will do the work from nine hospitals in four provinces.}

The specialists have been brought under the auspices of Rwanda Legacy of Hope, a charity organization under the stewardship of a Rwandan living in England, Pastor Ntavuka Osee.

In the past four years, they have, in total, operated 350 patients at no cost.
They expect to operate 10 patients every day at leading hospitals from all provinces of the country.

Pastor Ntavuka has told media that the visiting specialists have brought their own medical equipment which they leave at hospitals at the end of their tour.

“We started in 2012 with two specialist doctors; 15 specialist doctors came the following year, in 2014 they were 25 doctors and this year we have come with 35 specialist doctors. We come with many doctors with many materials and we will launch a Training Center of nurses in Rwamagana,” he said.

Pastor Ntavuka says that the medical equipment which the doctors will leave behind in Rwamagana hospital are valued at Rwf 50 million.

Other materials have been transported to Kirinda hospital, Kigeme, Nyamata and CHUK.

Dr Peggy from German said that he is delightful to be in Rwanda for the second time and is happy to treat and heal the marginalised.

“It is a charitable act of healing poor people and others having no means to access health care. I commend the government of Rwanda for opening doors for us. I am also happy for healed patients get cured and stay healthy,” he said.

Ntakiyiruta George ,head of department in charge of teaching doctors to operate patients says that at least 200,000 Rwandans get sick of ‘Hernie’ and hopes the support from these specialists will reduce the number of ‘Hernie’ patients.

This act has taken Rwf 2,8 billion since it started. The cash is provided by foreign donors sought by Pastor Ntavuka Osee, through ‘Rwanda Legacy of Hope’

{Pathologists Lancet, a private company that offers laboratory services in Africa has officially launched its branch in Rwanda and will be offering laboratory services that were not done in Rwanda before.}

The laboratory in Remera, Gisimenti, Umuyenzi Plaza, was officially opened on 4th February, 2016 and will conduct tests of over 4000 sicknesses.

During the launch, they also made free tests of cancer for 70 people over 40 since it was the international cancer day.

The specialists working with the laboratory have provided information to 52 Rwandan doctors about the role of technology in testing hepatitis disease.

Dr Nyirinkwaya Jean Chrysostome, the director of La Croix Du Sud Hospital and the president of private hospitals association in Rwanda said the newly launched laboratory brings service that were not found in the country which will promote health care.

“No doctor can heal unidentified disease. That is why this laboratory will play a big role, bringing services that would before be provided outside the country,” he said.
The director of Pathologists Lancet Group in East Africa, Dr Ahmed Kalebi said that the company concentrates on delivering laboratory services which help in good medical performance.

“We have modern facilities and expertise testing various sicknesses,” he said.
Dr Kalebi added that the laboratory will save expenses patients would spend traveling abroad for tests.

He revealed that they will collaborate with public and private hospitals, some medical insurance companies and the ministry of health.

This laboratory has the capacity of making various tests including DNA paternity test, allergy tests, toxicology and drug of abuse, therapeutic drug monitoring, cancer and tissue typing among others.

The Kigali branch will collaborate with its branch in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and others in case some tests failed in Rwanda and transfer tests to machines in other countries through technology without extra charges.

Pathologists Lancet Group has branches in 13 countries from Africa and has been operational for 65 years when it was first established in South Africa.

{Phillipa Kibugu was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 while living in the United States of America. This was four years after her sister died of the same disease at a tender age of 38. }

“When my sister died, we didn’t know anything about breast cancer then. She was taken to England for treatment but on reaching there, the cancer had spread to the liver. Surgery was done but she died. I was the one taking care of her at the time. It was a trying time,” Kibugu sadly narrates. I feel that my sister died because she was not knowledgeable about the disease and it was detected in the late stages.

“I wanted to know about the disease to be prepared. I was in the US at the time and breast cancer awareness was massive, so I did several tests which always gave negative results until in 1994 when my doctor did a biopsy that the cancer was detected. It was in its early stages. I was given an option of a single mastectomy. But I opted for a mastectomy for both breasts. I did so for my family. I didn’t want to take any chances,” Kibugu recalls.

Kibuga underwent nine rounds of chemotherapy, a very trying time it was, but she kept strong. When she recovered she came back to Rwanda to share the testimony with her people. Today Kibugu is the Director of Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa Inc (BCIEA)

She says it is time up to inspire and take action against cancer today for all Rwandans and the generations to come.
Rwanda Military Hospital (RMH) Kanombe, Kigali, is one of the institutions that have committed to fighting cancer.
Why World Cancer Day

The world Cancer Day 2016, marked with the tagline “We Can, I Can”, is celebrated Thursday 4th February. While comprehending this year’s theme, the day is meant to explore how everyone can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer collectively or as an individual. “The World Cancer Day is an opportunity to reflect on the issues of cancer and the extent at which it affects the people of Rwanda today,” says Lt. Col. Dr. Pacifique Mugenzi, Radiation Oncologist at RMH. The day is very significant as people convey the message of commitment, love, and strength and hope to prevent and cure cancer.

The key message here is that people need to inspire action and also, take action, live health lifestyles and understand early detection to save lives and improve access to cancer care, work together for increased impact and speak out, to mention but a few.

{{Forms of cancer in Rwanda}}

There are different types of cancer affecting both male and female Rwandans today; breast, cervical, prostate cancer, gastric, liver, head & neck and a few cases of lung cancer. “Cervical cancer is one of the commononest affect¬ing women today,” says Dr. Mugenzi. The Government of Rwanda has set an ambitious goal to eradicate the disease through intensive awareness measures and immu¬nization for all adolescent girls against Hu¬man Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is responsible for almost all cer-vical cancers. Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that Rwanda has so far vacci¬nated 227,246 girls with all three doses of the human Papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine.

{{Strategies to fight cancer}}

The Ministry of health plans to have national cancer planner clearly focusing on awareness, early screening, diagnosis treatment and care,” says Dr Mugenzi adding the strategy should not only focus on avoidance of risk factors but also invest in cancer control and mobilize networks to drive progress.

{{Challenges and the future}}

“Much has been done and reached by the government through Ministry of Health but we are not yet there,” he says. Rwanda still lacks human capacity and infrastructure.
The Ministry is however focusing much on awareness, screening and emphasizing the multi disciplinary approach which calls for collaboration among specialists. The ministry of health plans to engage all districts in cancer management. There is also much hope to improve the infrastructure especially when the government is intending to avail radiotherapy services by next year.

{As the world marked the cancer day yesterday, Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) revealed that Rwanda has only two oncologists, specialized doctors in treating cancer, despite the severity of the disease across different parts of the country. RBC however says that the Ministry of Health is putting in a lot of efforts to take care of cancer patients.}

In an interview with IGIHE, Dr. Marie-Aimee Muhimpundu, the head of Non Communicable Diseases at RBC, said that Rwanda has only two specialists in treating cancer supported general practitioners.

Dr.Muhimpundu says that in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MINISANTE) some medical personnel are being trained in the treatment of cancer and will practicing in the next three years.

She added that cancer drugs cannot be accessed by every Rwandan as Mituelle de santé does not cover the insurance of cancer treatment.

“They are not drugs that everyone can afford. It requires USD2500 for a cancer patient to get healed depending on the type of cancer,” she said.

Dr.Muhimpundi said that the country has also few hospitals with the capacity of treating compared to the number of Rwandans suffering from cancer.

These hospitals include King Faisal hospital, Butaro Hospital, Rwanda Military Hospital and CHUK.

Regarding the expensive cost of cancer drugs, she said that they are advocating for the reduction of prices and avail such treatment free of charge.

{You are what you eat so if you desire a beautiful skin, you need to eat foods that will help you achieve just that.}

Below are 12 foods that will help your skin glow in no time.

Below are 12 foods that will help your skin glow in no time

{{1. SALMON}}

A scaly skin will ruin your skin and no one wants that. A deficiency of biotin can cause scaly skin. Eating salmon provides your body with biotin and B vitamins which help give you a beautiful skin.

{{2. TOMATOES}}

Adding tomatoes to your diet will help give you a clear skin. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, which helps to keep the skin firm and taut by aiding collagen production.

{{3. CHIA SEEDS}}

Chia seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids which help maintain cell membranes by protecting the skin and providing it with moisture.

{{4. WATER}}

How much water do you drink daily? An effective way of getting a clear and beautiful skin is by drinking plenty of water to help your body flush out toxins.

{{5. SWEET POTATOES}}

Adding sweet potatoes to your diet will also help you achieve a clear and beautiful skin. Eating sweet potato provides the body with lots of water, keeping your skin and other cells hydrated.

{{6. BEETROOT}}

Beetroot contains vitamin E which is essential for epidermal health and healing. Beetroot is also high in vitamin A as well as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium. These nutrients make a powerful all-round body cleanser, helping to eliminate toxins from the body.

{{7. ALMONDS
}}

Almonds can help you achieve a clear and beautiful skin. Almonds are packed with vitamin E which also helps protect the skin from damage caused by the sun.

{{8. KALE}}

Adding kale to your diet will also help you achieve a clear and beautiful skin. Kale contains a full range of vitamins A, B complex, C, E and K as well as magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, folate, protein and phosphorus.

{{9. SUNFLOWER SEEDS}}

Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E which helps protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals in the environment and in the body.

{{10. AVOCADO}}

Adding avocado to your diet will help boosts your skin’s vitality and luminosity due to its high vitamin E content. Avocado oil is also thought to stimulate the production of collagen in the skin, which improves the skin’s tone and texture.

{{11. ORANGE JUICE}}

Drinking oil juice will help you achieve a clear and beautiful skin. Orange juice helps create collagen, the body’s main structural protein and also protects the skin from damage caused by free radicals due to its vitamin C content.

{{12. BROCCOLI}}

Broccoli contains antioxidants like vitamins A, B complex, C, E and K which all help to add luminosity to the skin and to revive damaged tissue. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and folate which support the healing process and aid the proper function of skin cells.

Source:Elcrema:[12 FOODS YOU SHOULD ADD TO YOUR DIET FOR A BEAUTIFUL SKIN->http://www.elcrema.com/2016/02/02/12-foods-you-should-add-to-your-diet-for-a-beautiful-skin/]