The Minister of Health Dr Richard Sezibera has said that the ministry is not only committed to providing access to care and treatment to the needy, but as also in providing the best quality care possible.

He said this on yesterday at the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) headquarters while presiding over the hand-over ceremony of seven CD4 cell-count machines.

The machines are used in counting the number of red blood cells in blood of HIV/AIDS patients. It tells the doctor how strong a patient’s immune system is and how far the disease has advanced.

"We are committed to providing access to quality care to those in need of treatment both on an individual basis and from a public health point of view,” Sezibera said.

All the machines were donated by UNCEF to the Ministry of Health through the NRL and the Treatment and Research for Aids Centre (TRAC) making a total of 17 such machines, each costing US$ 510,000.

"We are glad because this donation is very significant and will contribute tremendously towards the country’s spirited fight against the AIDS pandemic especially among women and children,” Sezibera added.

TRAC together with the Centre for Infectious Disease Control requested for the CD4 cell count machines and will distribute them to seven district hospitals in Nyanza, Muhoro, Muhima, Butare, Munini, Kiziguro and Ngarama.

During the ceremony, the Director General of NRL, Odette Mukabayire  expressed gratitude on receiving the machines and said that they would improve on their service delivery.

She added that they will be able to extend their services to those who previously lacked access, especially in villages and other distant districts.

The donation comes under UNICEF’s commitment to support the scaling up plan for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMCT) of HIV/AIDS and comprehensive paediatric care, treatment and support.

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