Rwamagana Hospital honours staff killed in Genocide

Rwamagana Hospital, on Thursday, held a ceremony to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.Rwamagana lost 16 staff, including doctors and nurses in the hospital and neighbouring health centres.The ceremonies were preceded by a Walk to Remember from the hospital to Kigabiro memorial cemetery, where the hospital staff lay wreaths.Addressing residents and staff, led by Dr John Bosco Nkuranga, the the hospital director, said the victims would be remembered always for their bravery.“Remembering is a moral obligation. The hospital staff died in the service of the people. They worked against all odds to keep treating the sick, until they met brutal death,” he said.The need to commemorate“The hospital has the responsibility to honour the staff killed during the Genocide. We are not doing this for formality, but rather it is our responsibility because these people were dedicated staff killed serving the people.”John Munyaneza, the chairperson of Ibuka in Rwamagana district, who joined the mourners at the ceremony, underscored the need to commemorate the Genocide.Speaking on behalf of Genocide survivors, Munyaneza said striving for self-reliance after the horrific events of 1994 was possible.He reiterated the need to commemorate, adding that it was respecting the lives lost in hard times of the country’s history.Great service“We have to make sure that the survivors of those atrocities feel re-dignified and have hope for a better tomorrow. This is when they will be able to sustain themselves, he said.Eugide Mugabo, a survivor who was admitted to the hospital during the 1994 pogrom, recalled how the slain staff were rendering great service to the people of Rwamagana.“I remember one doctor who treated me when the rest of the world had left me to die. I had multiple fractures on my leg while playing football. My admission coincided with the Genocide. My life was saved by one of the doctors, who was later killed here, so I owe him a lot that I just can’t pay with words,” Mugabo reflected.The hospital that was built in 1950 has a capacity to accommodate 218 patients.

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Rwamagana Hospital honours staff killed in Genocide