State-of-the-art Nyarugenge Hospital located in the city of Kigali has opened doors and will serve as a COVID-19 referral centre, the Rwanda Biomedical Centre(RBC) has announced.
“We opened the main COVID-19 treatment center at the just-completed Nyarugenge Hospital. The facility is expected to considerably improve COVID-19 case management. It offers the highest standard of oxygen therapy and its ICU capacity allows to admit 140 patients,” RBC twitter message reads.
The hospital has a total of 300 beds, but its oxygen system channeled through the building allows management of critical conditions of COVID-19 patients.
Designed by MASS Design Group, the Hospital comes at the right time.
As of January 7, Rwanda had registered 9,255 COVID-19 cases, 9640 recoveries, and 113 deaths.
Since December, the pandemic’s new wave killed double the number of patients who had died since March when the first case was registered in Rwanda. An increase of new cases has also become alarming to an extent that the cabinet was obliged to restrict movements from a district to another.
Cabinet’s message was even clear that a lockdown could be an option to consider, would new cases and fatalities continue to increase.
The Nyarugenge hospital joins six existing COVID-19 centers across the country. They are always dispatched taking into consideration the most affected areas.
However for Dr. Menelas Nkeshimana, in charge of COVID-19 Case management in Rwanda, the centre is unique and relief in cases’ management.
“The centre will manage critical cases and it has all it takes, staff wise and equipment-wise,” he said.
“Having a bigger centre of this kind helps in staffing and equipment. It is preferable than having scattered smaller centres.”
The first COVID-19 centre ever is Kanyinya in the outskirts of Nyarugenge district, city of Kigali.
RBC was thankful to Nyarugenge District officials for availing this centre.
“Our appreciations go to City of Kigali and Nyarugenge district for having availed the facility for COVID-19 case management. Efforts of setting up other COVID-19 ICU treatment centres in all provinces are ongoing,” RBC wrote.
