King Faisal Hospital (KFH), in collaboration with its partners, has conducted a voluntary medical outreach program in which it consulted and treated 641 survivors of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi for various complex diseases and medical conditions.
Such cases, the Hospital said, would have required a transfer to national referral hospitals. And, the survivors have been suffering from them for long, a situation that needed urgent medical support.
The activity was planned for three days from April 29 to May 1, 2021. Its main purpose was to bring advanced medical care to the survivors of the Genocide, in line with Kwibuka Twiyubaka – remembering and renewal – the theme for the 27th commemoration of the Genocide against Tutsi.
"During this 100-day commemoration period, we wanted to take advanced healthcare to the genocide survivors so that those who are not financially stable, are able to afford the advanced medical care from King Faisal Hospital,” said KFH Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Miliard Derbew.
It was planned in partnership with Rwamagana Hospital, the Medical Volunteers Organisation (MVO), Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), the Association of the Widows survivors of Genocide against the Tutsi (AVEGA Agahozo) and the fund for support and assistance to the neediest survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi (FARG).
The survivors who received the health services are members of the community-based health insurance scheme – Mutuelle de Santé, which is intended to cover healthcare for the low-income citizens.
And, sending a patient who is a Mutuelle de Santé subscriber to a national referral hospital such as King Faisal, would require a long transfer process.
The focal specialties included internal medicine, urology, ENT (Otolaryngology or a medical specialty which is focused on conditions affecting ears, nose, and throat), gynecology and obstetrics, general surgery, orthopedics; neurosurgery, psychology, psychiatry, pediatrics, and cardiology.
King Faisal Hospital sent a team of its doctors in different specialties to Rwamagana Hospital to consult and treat the survivors’ cases under those specialties.
The outreach benefited not only patients residing in Rwamagana but even those coming from all 7 districts of the Eastern Province.
Some of the survivors were suffering from conditions that resulted from the traumatic and tragic events they experienced during the Genocide against Tutsi.
Prof. Derbew, who is a pediatric surgeon, also joined the team at Rwamagana Hospital during the service. He operated on children – aged between two and 10 – with different pathologies.
Some consulted patients will continue being monitored and treated from King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, according to the hospital.
It is to note that the activity was concluded by KFH’s team and the partners in the project conducting a walk to remember and a tribute to thousands of victims of the genocide against Tutsi buried in Kigabiro Genocide memorial in Rwamagana District.
Regis Hitimana, Deputy Director General at Rwanda Social Security Board observed that "RSSB’s focus during the 100 days of the commemoration of the genocide against Tutsi is to bring specialized medical care to Mutuelle de Santé beneficiaries who cannot otherwise access it due to financial barriers”.
In particular, RSSB targets gynecology services to help prevent cervical cancer.
"It is our understanding that cervical cancer can be prevented through early detection and treatment,” he observed.
Speaking to The New Times, Valerie Mukabayire, President of AVEGA Agahozo described the activity as important and outstanding.
She said that some of the diseases could not be diagnosed and treated by medics at health facilities.
She cited a survivor who had a hearing loss and another who had been suffering from back and muscle pain for years as a result of the rape committed against her during the Genocide against Tutsi.
But, with the help of the specialist doctors from KFH, she said, they were diagnosed and effectively treated.
"That is a great support because the survivors from rural areas who have serious diseases that require medical specialists often have difficulties accessing them,” she stated.
"It is a relief that they got medical specialists who provided them treatment,” she said, indicating that some of them were cured immediately from the diseases they were suffering from.
KFH’s team and the partners in the project also conducted a walk to remember and paid tribute to thousands of victims of the genocide against the Tutsi buried in Kigabiro Genocide memorial.
Specialists from King Faisal Hospital perform a medical procedure on a patient during the voluntary medical outreach program intended to offer advanced healthcare to Genocide Survivors, at Rwamagana Hospital.
Specialists from King Faisal Hospital provided advanced medical care to Genocide Survivors during the 3-day voluntary medical outreach program at Rwamagana Hospital.