More than 100 healthcare providers, including medical doctors and nurses from various hospitals in the country, have undertaken e-learning training in providing care to HIV positive individuals.

The three-month education programme in HIV treatment and care is provided by Health[e]Foundation, a non-profit based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The trainees are learning how to give specialised care to HIV patients, particularly paying attention to their mental health.

The training is part of efforts to improve the quality of healthcare by providing applicable and up-to-date information to healthcare givers while supporting innovative health care initiatives.

Faustin Machara, of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) urged all medics to embrace it.

"It is necessary for all health care providers in the country to have it,” he said.

The programme consists of 16 modules for nurses, 24 modules for doctors, including a module addressing epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in Rwanda.

After the programme, the trainers grant trainees life-long access to all their online courses to ensure continuous medical education.

In the period August to November 2017, 116 medical doctors, interns and nurses from various health facilities across the country were successfully trained.

The programme is facilitated through a partnership between Rwanda’s Ministry of Health, the University of Rwanda and Health[e]Foundation, and is sponsored by ViiV Pharmaceutical company, according to Marie Michele Umulisa, the country representative of Health[e]Foundation.

The organisation wanted to create something that could bring together health providers from around the world to have the same information with life-long updated online trainings, she told The New Times.

Alexis Manishimwe, a medical doctor at Kibungo Hospital, said the training has been helpful in terms of updated information, and new World Health Organisation protocols about adequate and effective management.

"We have emphasised the management of HIV-infected individuals considering their mental health and nutrition status, something clinicians tend to underestimate but which has a big impact on adherence and overall outcomes," he added.

Simeon Tuyishime, a medical doctor from AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and trainee, said, besides knowledge, he gained broad understanding of the global view about HIV.

"Not only our patients are going to gain from this training, but also my fellow healthcare providers,” he noted.

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