President Kagame is joined by senior officials in a ground breaking ceremony. Photos/Urugwiro Village.
President-elect Paul Kagame says he will be at hand to ensure the fast tracking of expansion of King Faisal Hospital (KFH-Rwanda), to ensure that the referral hospital is upgraded to an international standard facility that will serve Rwandans and Africans who continue to spend a fortune seeking treatment abroad.
The Head of State made the rallying call on Monday at a groundbreaking ceremony to kickstart the second phase of expanding the hospital, pointing out that the work being done has to be done as quickly as possible to provide quality healthcare services, not only for Rwandans but also Africans who have to spend significant amounts of money to access advanced treatment abroad.
The expansion has been described as a significant milestone which will be delivered by a partnership between the Ministry of Health, King Faisal Hospital Rwanda Foundation and Shelter Group Africa. The expansion will see the hospital triple its bed capacity from 157 to 557 beds. President Kagame made a commitment to play his role to ensure that the project is delivered.
He pointed out that in recent years he had cut out attending groundbreaking ceremonies and instead opting to attend opening or inauguration ceremonies of finished projects but given the importance of the hospital project, he had to break his own rules.
President Kagame said the facility will go a long way in improving access to healthcare in Rwanda and on the continent.
“I had reduced almost to zero my attendance to the ground-breaking ceremonies and preferred to be going to attend ceremonies where we are opening something that is already done. But because of the importance and trust I have for those who invited me to this ceremony, I had to come. I broke my own rules just for that, because of the trust,” President Kagame said.
President Kagame said that the project will be delivered in a few years, thanking all the partners involved for showing commitment to the ambitious project, which will be delivered in a period of two years.
President Kagame speaks to officials after the tour of KFH.
The Head of State said that there is no meaning if the country continues to spend money to educate young people abroad and at the same time continue to send patients in the same direction to seek treatment, emphasizing that putting in place a facility like that the expanded KFH, which will also serve as a medical university, would help break that cycle.
President Kagame said in the past he has been frustrated by that cycle but the new expanded hospital, and more projects in the pipeline present hope that healthcare fortunes will be turned around.
“There is that level of exposure that we want our young men and women to benefit from. We want that to translate into the growth of capacity here in our country, in as many fields as we can and therefore, our people and others from the region are able to get the services they need from us, from here, things we build here,” President Kagame said.
He emphasized the importance of quality services, pointing out that such an excellent facility would mean nothing it the services don’t match the infrastructure,” he said, emphasizing that it starts with the already existing facilities, which he said should operate with high efficiency and as expected.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, pointed out that the expansion of the hospital is part of the ongoing government efforts to boost the sector, to ensure that Rwandans and Africans have access to quality care services, revealing that once the expansion works are complete, the hospital will be ranked among the best on the continent and in the world.
Speaking on behalf of partners, Dr. Senait Fisseha, said the expansion will play a major role in advancing access to healthcare not only in Rwanda but also on the continent, reiterating the commitment of partners to deliver it on time.
Among the new additions will be a new surgical and medical subspecialties, including the oncology department, which will incorporate radiotherapy services, as well as the introduction of additional critical care and accident and emergency services.
President Kagame looks at an artistic impression of the expansion works at KFH.
The ambitious project will add to the hospital a dedicated unit for stroke, spine, and neurology, and expanded cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, and orthopedic surgery services.
In addition, the hospital will introduce cutting-edge procedures such as robotic and minimally invasive surgeries, alongside advanced services in urology, general, vascular, and plastic surgeries.
Oncology services will also be enhanced with the inclusion of PET scan and cyclotron facilities, besides radiotherapy. Construction works have already started.
