NYAGATARE -IntraHealth International, under its ‘HIV clinical services’ programme, has registered tremendous success in improving the lives of rural communities in Nyagatare District. 

This was revealed by Crystal Milligan, the programme’s manager, during a three-day evaluation workshop held in Nyagatare. 

The workshop was attended by the heads of health centres in the district and other health partners. 

The USAID-financed five-year programme operates in the district of Nyagatare in the Eastern Province, Gicumbi and Rulindo in the Northern Province and Gasabo in Kigali City. 

According to Milligan, the HIV/Aids clinical services programme started in 2007 in Nyagatare, mainly to reinforce the district’s healthcare system through training health workers and participating in other health-related activities. 

In the area of fighting Aids scourge among the rural community, she said, there have been major improvements in HIV clinical services.  

"We have mainly been working on the quality of HIV clinical services in all mentioned health centres which had a good impact,” she said.   

She added that their interventions also included tackling gender based violence, maternal healthcare and family planning, among others. 

Jean Paul Babonangenda, the head of Bugaragara Health Centre, said that IntraHealth has trained them in various new clinical services in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. 

"Whenever there are new clinical techniques brought up by the Ministry of Health, IntraHealth trains us on how to adopt them quickly,” he said. 

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