Located in Nyarutarama, Kigali, Life Care Multi-Speciality Clinic, a medical facility, was launched on Wednesday, June 26 to offer Rwandans top-notch medical care, and limit the need to travel abroad for treatment of complex and specialised procedures.
Equipped with international medical specialists, especially from India, Pakistan, and Cuba, the clinic seeks to address the issues of limited access to advanced healthcare options.
"With our wide range of specialties, we intend to save costs spent by Rwandans on travel, accommodation, time, and medical expenses in a quest for first-class health services,” said Ali Manji, the Managing Director of Life Care Rwanda.
He noted that nephrology, a branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases, requires more experts in the country.
"We will collaborate with other hospitals like King Faisal and others in different countries to plan for transplants in Rwanda.”
During the launch of Life Care Rwanda, Francis Gatare, the CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) acknowledged Manji for extending his business from Tanzania to Kigali especially his venture in the healthcare sector.
"Rwandans are the number one asset and value for our country and healthcare, which offers our citizens a high quality of life is a very significant contribution to the well-being of our country. There is no better investment than to give people a good and healthy life. We commend you very much for this,” Gatare said.
The RDB chief executive highlighted: "We know that you have invested in other sectors and even more, promoting Rwanda. We are together to institute more investments.”
Manji stressed that Life Care Rwanda supports Rwanda’s ambitious target of becoming a medical tourism hub where people from various parts of the continent and the world can access advanced healthcare services and training. He mentioned his plan to extend the clinic beyond Rwanda, to penetrate the East African market.
The clinic offers a wide range of services in internal medicine, gynecology, dentistry, pediatrics, nephrology, and others and encompasses four main departments including specialist consultations, dental services, dialysis center, and laboratory services.
"Life Care Rwanda has been a dream project for my wife – a medical doctor, and me. Since we got married, we have developed an interest in establishing a state-of-the-art clinic with international standards. Our dream has been fulfilled and we believe that we can make a difference by providing high-quality healthcare services.
"I found comfort in investing in Rwanda, and I have worked with RDB, and the Ministry of Health to achieve the required standards,” Manji said
Although pricing is always an issue with accessing specialised medical services, Manji mentioned the plan to work with different health insurance companies to manage it.
Manji highlighted the arrangement to incorporate an online system to enable people to book online to lower the waiting hours in long queues.
"We are in the pipeline of integrating a mobile app where the patients who will sign up the first time, will be given their login details and their password. They will be able to access their patient records, update their records, and have all their X-rays and lab reports in one portal – making the process easy and comfortable for patients to have their data instead of carrying files.”
Manji, a Tanzanian, has been in Rwanda since 2013. Apart from the health sector, he has invested in other businesses.
The primary reason for his relocation to Rwanda was manufacturing. He produces mattresses under the brand Matelas Dodoma and has ventured into real estate, as well as the establishment of two gift shop branches called Tic-Tac-Toe.