KIGALI - Kigali Health Institute held its 4th Graduation ceremony yesterday at Jali Club. Education Minister Dr Daphrose Gahakwa, who also doubles as KHI Chancellor, conferred advanced diplomas and degrees upon 544 graduands, of whom 351 were women. This made the number of female graduands almost double that of their male counterparts.

The institute’s statistics also showed that the number of female graduands has been increasing since 2004, and this time round the increment rose to 65 percent.

The graduands were mainly from the Faculties of Nursing, Sciences, and Allied health services.

Flanked by the KHI rector Dr Desire Ndushabandi, Gahakwa called on the graduands to effectively utilise the comprehensive training that they had received over the years to improve the health services in the country.

"The Rwandan population has suffered a lot in the past. I hope that your behaviour and attitude will heal the physical and mental condition of your future patients," she said.

While noting that most of the diseases from which the Rwandan population suffers are caused by lack of preventive care and poor curative care, the minister cautioned the graduands that the society expects them to have professional ethics in the execution of their future duties.

"You should be characterized by a sound intellectual background and by an attitude of selflessness in the presence of your patients," she said.

Gahakwa assured the graduands that the government will continue to do its best to support the institute in its efforts to provide quality training aimed at satisfying the population needs in the domain of health care.

She said that despite its limited financial resources, the government will help KHI to acquire adequate infrastructure, sufficient learning equipment and to recruit and retain qualified staff.

Mary Mbabazi, a student representative, called on government to assist the institute by upgrading it from only awarding advanced diploma to degree level in all departments.

She said this would give a chance to advanced diploma graduates to continue and pursue degree programmes for more knowledge and to ably compete internationally.

She also requested that the ministry of health recognize environmental science graduates in order for them to have access to jobs.

Mbabazi, on behalf of her colleagues promised that they would strive to cater for patients efficiently and to sensitize the population on environmental sanitation.

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