A team of 14 medics from China has arrived in Rwanda to work closely with the Ministry of Health and other partners to improve medical care for the next two years. This is the 14th medical team to come to Rwanda since the two countries started this exchange programme over two decades ago. The new team of medics, who arrived in the country last week, represents a continuation of close ties between Rwanda and China.

This partnership should be harnessed by all the stakeholders.

Rwanda’s health sector still faces major challenges like lack of adequate medical personnel to handle some cases that require specialised skills, such as neurosurgery. This kind of technical assistance is imperative since these visiting teams are expected to help transfer knowledge and skills locally to enable Rwandan practitioners handle certain cases. Rwanda has also received medical equipment under the co-operation, while some local health workers have also undergone specialised hands-on training in China.

The Chinese medics’ contribution will go a long way in enhancing the quality of health care. The beneficiary health centres should make the most of this partnership.

This, and similar cooperation arrangements with other countries, can be harnessed to build the capacity of local professionals to help reduce skills gap.

With such initiatives, many people will not have to travel out of the country to receive specialized treatment, which is very costly.