WESTERN PROVINCE - The death toll from Sunday’s earthquake that severely devastated the Western Province has risen to 38, the Ministry of Health said yesterday.

The number of those injured also went up to 454.
By Sunday evening, government officials had confirmed 34 people dead and 434 injured.
But the Director of Communications in the Ministry of Health, Ines Mpambara, said last evening that four more people died from different hospitals in Western Province.
She however said that the number of those injured is reducing in hospitals as they get discharged.

"At one time we had over 500 injured people in hospitals but the number has tremendously decreased,” she said.

The critically injured were flown to different Kigali hospitals by helicopters hospitals on Sunday. Others remained and were admitted at Gihundwe and Bushenge Hospitals in Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts respectively.

Those brought to Kigali are admitted at King Faysal Hospital, Kanombe Military Hospital, University Central Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) and Kanombe Military Hospitals.

Mpambara said that most of those who were critically injured are getting better.
"Currently we have 14 cases in King Faysal hospital, two at Kanombe Military Hospital and four at CHUK. All the patients are improving though doctors are concentrating more on four cases that are still critical,” she said.

When The New Times visited King Faysal Hospital last evening doctors said that out of the 13 people are still admitted, with 12 of them still in very critical condition.

Jean Niyitegeka was the only one who was not in intensive care and could talk. He is one of the victims from Nkanka Diocese

The Director of Nursing at King Faysal Hospital, Dr.Agnes Uwayezu said the majority of the patients could not talk but were recovering. Four of them were by yesterday still on oxygen.
At CHUK, the Director General of the hospital, Dr Théobald Hategekimana said one was discharged.

"The other two patients are improving,” he added.
The two patients admitted at Kanombe Military hospital are Gaspard Niyitanga and Anastase Nshimiyimana, and doctors said they were improving.

In Western Province, most of injured had been discharged, leaving only 92 admitted at Gihundwe Hospital. Another 29, 15 and 8 were still admitted at Bushenge, Mibirizi and Kibogora hospitals respectively.

Mpambara said that field clinics have been established in different places to ensure that no cases of unhygiene arise.
Ends