HUYE - The Butare University Teaching Hospital (CHUB) has unveiled a new plan for construction of new buildings while seeking refurbishment of its existing ones, an official told The New Times.

The Rwf3billion project will be funded by the Belgian Technical Cooperation.

Dr Andre Musemakweli, the hospital’s Director General, in an interview with The New Times said that the funds will be used to construct a maternity/neonatology wing, an administration/emergency wing, a water and sewage treatment plant, and a fence around the hospital premises.

"With this new infrastructure, we hope to deliver better services to the community, offer better training for medical professionals, conduct research and carry out our supervisory role of all district hospitals in the province,” he said.

According to Musemakweli, about Rwf 311million will be spent on the already started renovation of the pediatric wing at the hospital.

Under this renovation plan the asbestos roofing will be replaced by other modern roofing materials, rooms in the ward will be expanded and given better ventilation.

"All these structures that are being built or renovated will be fitted with new modern equipment to a tune of Rwf1billion,” he added.

The Teaching Hospital has in the past received substantial assistance to improve on its service delivery, teaching and research roles.

A building to house the new Reference laboratory for micro and molecular biology focusing on HIV and TB is already complete. It has been jointly funded by Columbia University, Global Fund, UNICEF and the National Reference Laboratory.

A new Pediatric Centre for Excellence built with funding from Columbia University/ICAP project is already complete. It will specifically deal with Pediatric HIV infections.

The 500-bed University Teaching hospital serves a population of about 2million people from in and around the Southern Province. Each year, the hospital admits over 8,000 patients, including around 30,000 out patients.

Like many other hospitals in the country, CHUB has a shortage of qualified human resource at all levels and a high turnover of its personnel because of unattractive labour rates.

To fill the human resource gap, the hospital recruits specialists from the region through partnership with the ministries of Education and Health, and the National University of Rwanda.

The hospital also has experts from Germany through DED cooperation and many more from  Cuba  under a multilateral cooperation with the Cuban Government.

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