Construction works on a dream modern health varsity teaching hospital is slated to start next month in Burera District.

The University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) will be a major boost to human resource in the health sector as it will provide world class training for doctors, nurses, healthcare managers and other professionals within the sector, officials said.

The facility, being set up through cooperation between the Government of Rwanda, Harvard University and Partners In Health, will be operated by the latter.

Dr Peter Drobac, the university executive director, said the target is to make the campus a global hub for innovation and healthcare delivery.

Burera District is home to Butaro Hospital, a district referral facility that houses Butaro Cancer Centre of Excellence. Built by Partners In Health and the Ministry of Health, the cancer centre opened in July 2012 and remains the only national referral facility for specialised cancer treatment and care.

Drobac said the long term vision is to create a 10-year plan for the creation of the university and have two campuses, a major one in Butaro Sector in Burera, and another in Masaka Sector, Kicukiro District in Kigali.

In phases

The first phase of the construction will kick off next month, he said.

"We will start in Burera and construction will begin in a month. We intend to begin preparation of the site in June and formal construction will begin by late August,” said Drobac.

"We anticipate the construction works to take two years so that by mid 2018, the first phase of the campus should be complete and we hope to welcome new students in Burera campus in 2018,” he added.

"The reason we decided to build the university in Rwanda instead of some other country is because this country has demonstrated such a track record of building effective healthcare systems for all the people in a credible manner, so we believe there are important morals and innovations that have been developed by Rwanda’s health sector that can be shared with the rest of the world.”

Butaro campus will sit on about 150 hectares of land but the first phase of the health varsity will be constructed on 37 hectares.

The campus will have a clinical simulation centre that gives students an opportunity to gain safe hands-on skills.

The clinical simulation centre, which will be the first in the country, offers clinical training that would help practitioners gain more advanced and practical clinical skills, according to Drobac.

Other facilities, he said, include a modern and digital library that will help the learners to access medical journals, textbooks and all information needed by learners.

The first phase of the campus will cost $9 million. But officials said after the phase, there will be continuous construction and expansion works on the campus as that in Masaka Sector will be underway as well.

The university is already in operation as it was inaugurated in September last year.

As part of its programme, currently, 26 students are undergoing a Master of Science in Global Health Delivery from Rwikwavu Hospital in Kayonza.

Locals optimistic

Local leaders and residents of Burera have welcomed the envisaged varsity, saying it will not only offer opportunity for those eligible to study there but also jobs and boost development in the district.

"There is huge profit for us to have a campus, the district had no single university. This campus will change the image of the district thanks to infrastructure that will be set up,” said Florence Uwambajemariya, the district mayor.

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