With an aim of boosting e-health as well as the human resource base of the medical sector, government yesterday ratified a Memorandum of Understanding with South Western Medical Centre in the University of Texas.

According to the health Minister, Dr. Richard Sezibera, the two parties agreed to facilitate training especially in e-health and telemedicine but also increase Rwanda’s access to resources that will boost the country’s health sector.

"We have also decided to devise ways of strengthening clinical research and training and after a while, we should be having an increased number and quality of healthcare providers and better diagnostic services in the country.

"This partnership will go on forever and we thank the US government and the University of Texas that have expressed this determination to join us in the cause of promoting our citizens’ healthcare,” Sezibera said.

The Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, J. Gregory Fitz also noted that based on his brief visit to the country, there are impressive achievements in the health sector but more resources should be mobilized to improve it further.

"We have been assessing needs during our visit and realized that training and education is required approaches that will take quality health services closer to the people.

Fitz also commended the country’s HIV/AIDS fight citing that resources such as those from PEPFAR have been used appropriately.

"One of the most impressive strides in Rwanda’s health system is the effective way that available resources have been used to manage HIV/AIDS. This country implemented a very careful analytical approach to HIV prevention and treatment,” he added.

During the five-day visit, the US team of three toured the National University of Rwanda’s Faculty of Medicine and Butare Teaching Hospital (CHUB).

They also went to Kigali Health Institute, Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK) and other health facilities across the country.

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