Recent medical studies have indicated that asbestos which is widely used for roofing is a potential cause of cancer in human beings. Some countries have even gone ahead to ban the use of asbestos roofing.

Others have taken measures to ensure that all public buildings with asbestos roofing are given new roofing materials, which do not pose the same danger.

However for Rwanda it is not yet clear whether the government has taken steps to remove asbestos which is known to cause different types of cancer.

Many buildings in Kigali including some at the Kigali Central Hospital have asbestos roofing. It would be of great importance if the government came up with measures to eliminate the risk posed by asbestos to human beings in the country.

This is so because cancer is so expensive to treat. So eliminating the known risk factors that cause the deadly disease would be a great mile stone on the part of government and other bodies dedicated to human health and survival.

Rusumo