SERVICE DELIVERY:Country’s hospitals on the spot

Health Minister, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, yesterday, said that a new state of the art hospital worth over $50 million is set to be constructed in the premises of King Faisal Hospital (KFH) Kigali.According to the minister, the new structure is a public private partnership and it will be separate from KFH."There is indeed a process to build the new structure through collaboration between the government of Rwanda, a Japanese group called Tokushukai and the African Development Bank,” Binagwaho said, noting that feasibility studies are being arranged.She said the new hospital will be affiliated to the Tokushukai Medical Corporation, the world’s third largest medical institution, which will construct the hospital. The minister’s explanation comes after Prime Minister Dr.Pierre Damien Habumuremyi noted that plans are underway to streamline things at KFH to turn it into the excellent international facility it should be, for the benefit of Rwandans.Habumuremyi on Friday told Parliament that part of the plan is the new modern structure which he said will be elected by the Japanese investor next to the current KFH block, in the nearest future. "The plan is set and an investor was obtained to build a better-quality hospital that will be attached to King Faisal Hospital so that all possible services will be provided there. This will take a budget of almost more than $50 million,” Habumuremyi said while responding to lawmakers’ numerous queries on KFH and the general state of the country’s health sector.Collaboration between Rwanda and the Japanese medical group apparently started in 2010 when former Minister of Health, Dr. Richard Sezibera, visited Japan.In March 2010, a delegation led by Dr. Sezibera, visited the Tokushukai Medical Corporation in Japan. Dr. Sezibera and Dr. Tokuda Torao, Chairman and Founder of Tokushukai Medical Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding and the Tokushukai group granted Rwanda 10 dialysis machines to be distributed to Butare Medical University Hospital, KFH and Kigali University Hospital. At the time, the Tokushukai group also offered one-month training for a doctor, two nurses and an engineer.Meanwhile, according to the Prime Minister, the second plan in revamping service delivery at KFH and other hospitals entails a massive search for specialist doctors."The second plan is that of searching for specialists that will treat every disease at King Faisal Hospital,” he said, noting that a road map is set under which 100 doctors are undergoing specialist training abroad.Habumuremyi said the Ministry of Health is also collaborating with 19 top US colleges to train Rwandan specialists.Apart from expansion and specialists’ plans, the Premier again hinted on what he acknowledged is the "often criticised service delivery system” at KFH, and noted that here too, there is now a solid plan to set up standards in all hospitals. "I also want to urge all Rwandans not to accept poor services. Those who get to receive poor service should mention it so that those in charge of rectifying things are able to.”He stressed that government is keen on ensuring good service delivery and that efforts put in so far, indicate significant progress.