The Director of Medical Services at the Ministry of Defence, Dr Charles Murego, has died,  Police have confirmed.

Murego,64, died in an accident in Nyamagabe District, Southern Province on Wednesday. His driver, Sergeant Leonidas Twizere, sustained a broken leg and is undergoing treatment.

The spokesperson for traffic and road safety, Supt. Jean Marie Ndushabandi, told The New Times that the accident occurred as the medical doctor was heading home from Kaduha Hospital, in the remote Kaduha Sector, Nyamagabe where he had been treating patients as part of activities to mark the Army Week.

As part of the outreach programme, RDF specialists reach out to the community and offer specialised medical treatment to residents.

His car veered off the road after hitting a tree, Supt Ndushabandi said.

Murego passed away as he was being rushed to Kanombe-based Rwanda Military Hospital using a helicopter that had been dispatched by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), according to the Traffic Police spokesperson.

His death has shocked many,  particularly those who knew him as a skilled medical professional who served his country selflessly.

Efforts to get a comment from the Ministry of Defence were futile by press time.

His death comes exactly a year after the death of the former commandant of the Reserve Force in the Southern Region, Brig. Gen. Dan Gapfizi, who passed away in a fatal road accident along the Kagitumba-Kayonza road in the Eastern Province on June 24, 2013.

As news of Dr Murego’s death filtered in, Rwandans took to social media–particularly Twitter to express their sorrow and console the bereaved family.

Gerald Mpyisi wrote through his Twitter handle @Mpyisi: "The untimely death of Dr Murego is painful as he was dedicated to the country and especially to the armed forces” while @vmugarura said: "Rwanda has lost a very respectable and experienced doctor”.

GAERG, an association of youth Genocide survivors, wrote on their official twitter handle:  "RIP Dr Murego who treated Genocide survivors, especially those with physical disabilities resulting from the Genocide.”

Dr Murego trained in surgery at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda before undergoing a specialised training as a senior consultant in trauma and orthopaedic surgery at Pavia University, Italy, and later in neurovascular microsurgery and hand surgery from Montpellier University, France.  He also held a diploma in HIV/Aids programme development and a certificate in HIV/Aids management. 

The New Times established that family members were waiting for the deceased’s wife to return from abroad later today before fixing the burial date.

He is survived by a widow and four children.