Drs Jean Damascene Hanyurwimfura, Ms Monique Huss, Dr Jean Baptist Ntihumbya, receive gift on behalf of Masaka hospital, from Ambassador Wang Xuekun.
As unveilings go, it was fairly understated, but that was in a way, to belie its importance to the continued development of Rwanda’s healthcare provision.
On the afternoon of Monday 25th, the Chinese medical team, serving at Masaka district hospital, and their Rwandan colleagues, welcomed the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Rwanda, Wang Xuekun, to unveil five new treatment centres and clinics at the hospital.
As he addressed the small audience of doctors, nurses and administrators, the ambassador put the opening of the new centres within the perspective of the close relations between Rwanda and China, noting that at the recent meeting between the Chinese and Rwandan heads of state, Presidents Xi Jinping, and Paul Kagame, the two leaders elevated the Rwanda-China bilateral relationship, to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. These are no mere diplomatic words, they denote a link between the peoples of two nations, in mutual regard and support, whenever and wherever needed, by either nation.
Ambassador Wang Xuekun joins Masaka hospital staff for a photo.
For Dr Zhang Heping, and the medical team he leads, the close relationship between the two peoples, means that he can focus on bringing medical expertise to people who need it. Thanks to him and his team, Masaka hospital will now see enhanced expertise in operations, for hernia, orthopedic and ambulatory surgery. This will go hand in hand with greater expertise in pain management in Kibungo hospital, where other members of the Chinese medical team are also serving.
As a group of interested patients watched on, the Director of Clinical Services, at the ministry of health, Dr Jean Baptiste Ntihumbya, expressed his gratitude to the Chinese medical team. China’s support and their work, he said, were a major contribution to Rwanda’s policy of putting people first, at the centre of every development.
The operations will be led by Chinese doctors and nurses, as they pass on their skills and expertise to their Rwandan colleagues, who will eventually take over.
Among the doctors at the opening of the centres was Dr An Linfei, a practitioner of Chinese traditional medicine. Can there be a more intimate demonstration of the closeness between the Chinese and Rwandans, than that Rwandan patients arrive and request acupuncture treatment, as though it is something they have always known.
The new centres will also begin with new equipment, courtesy of Ambassador Wang Xuekun.
