Week in health

Last week, as a move to reduce the back log of those waiting for surgery appointments, Kigali University Teaching Hospital, CHUK kicked off an exercise to enable over 400 people to receive services from their respective home districts. CHUK hospital director Theobald Hategekimana confirmed that under the ten day programme, treatments were to be carried out in five public district hospitals of Musanze, Kibungo, Nyamata, Nyagatare and Karongi as a way to reduce the time-frame of the appointments given to patients. In almost similar timing during the eve of World Blood donation day, the National Centre for Blood Transfusion (NCBT) unveiled high precision technology capable of separating blood components during donation. NCBT division manager at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), Swaibu Gatare explained that the new machines reduce the quantity of blood elements collected from a donor compared to the ordinary methods. With the new machines, from the donor, only the constituent needed for a certain patient can be obtained while with the ordinary methods all the three constituents are extracted at once. For instance, if the doctor indicates that a patient needs platelets only, with Apheresis the donor will be able to give only those platelets while for the ordinary methods all the three constituents (platelets, red cell and plasma) would be given even if the two others are not needed. On a similar note, Dr Patrick Ndimubanzi, the state minister for public health and primary healthcare, urged Rwandans to donate blood as it’s important in saving mothers. Ndimubanzi added that although hundreds of women die every day worldwide due to bleeding after delivery, donating blood is a big contribution to saving these lives. Still on donation, Mount Kenya University’s School of Health Sciences, in partnership with the National Blood Transfusion Centre, hosted a blood donation event at the varsity as part of activities to mark the World Blood Donation Week. Dr Mercyline Kamande, the principal of Mount Kenya University Kigali Campus said that the institution desired to make a meaningful contribution to society by encouraging students, staff and community to donate blood to save lives. Alexie Mukamazimpaka, the in charge of mobilisation at NBTC, told the students and faculty members that blood donation is critical in the country’s health system. She said that in the past, hospitals would only start looking for donors with a matching blood group when a patient needed it, which led to unnecessary deaths. Meanwhile, Staff members of Partners in Health (PIH), Kayonza residents and local leaders gathered on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the organization’s activities at PIH offices in Rwinkwavu Sector, Kayonza. Antoinette Habinshuti, the deputy country director for PIH was pleased with the general improvement of people’s livelihood and lifestyle. John Mugabo, the Mayor of Kayonza, commended PIH activities in communities, adding that they helped improve people’s livelihood. “PIH has been active in providing basic needs for widows and other vulnerable members of the community by constructing houses and paying for them health insurance premiums,” he said. Elsewhere in the country, the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) unveiled new appellations for people with disabilities (PWD) based on categories of disabilities.