RUSIZI - As part of a countrywide tour of health facilities, the Minister of Health, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, visited Rusizi District to assess the performance and collectively lay strategies for effective service delivery.

Speaking to the officials of Gihundwe Hospital and other health officials who included community health workers, the Minister called for  improvement in service delivery and strict adherence to norms expected of any health professional.

She commended Gihundwe Hospital for maintaining adequate hygiene standards and called on its management to expedite the hospital’s master plan, which is set to be transformed into a provincial referral hospital from the current District Hospital Status.

Binagwaho urged development partners working in the district to harmonise their activities and work in close partnership with district officials.

Highlighting the challenges facing the facility, the hospital Director, Dr. Celestin Ntawangakaje, decried the accumulated arrears of Mutuelle de Sante from the ministry, totaling to over Rwf100 million, as a major setback to their operations.

The Director also mentioned that the hospital lacks equipment for various medical procedures and has a small maternity section.  He further underscored the need to renovate buildings, some of which are dilapidated.

Binagwaho assured that all the issues would be addressed.

During a tour of the district, the Minister visited victims of a recent grenade attack in the area and denounced the cowardly acts of the perpetrators.

Two private clinics that operated illegally and lacked appropriate equipment to offer medical services were closed down.

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