The Ministry of Health (MoH) has closed down Baho International Hospital following a recent death of a patient that triggered an investigation. The development was confirmed to The New Times on Saturday, September 18 by Dr. Daniel Ngamije, the Minister of Health by telephone. Since last week, MoH officials have been undertaking thorough investigations into the operations of the Nyarutarama-based private hospital. The health facility has been subject to recurrent complaints from the public since mid this year, with many people taking to social media to protest against its alleged poor service delivery, hygiene, and at least one case of misdiagnosis. The most recent of problems at the hospital emerged about a week and a half ago, when the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) arrested two of its doctors as part of investigations into the death of a female patient who passed away on Thursday, September 9, after checking in for minor surgery. A day later, the MoH resolved to appoint a joint probe committee of nine senior officials to carry out a thorough probe into the hospital, with reference to the “repetitive alleged malpractices” at the institution. The team was tasked to provide a comprehensive report in five working days. Now, after the probe was concluded, the MoH has closed down the hospital. Ngamije did not divulge detail concerning what the investigation team found, but said the ministry will provide more details next week, through a communique. “We will issue a communique not only on the Baho case. It will be addressed to all private health facilities, requesting them to improve their quality of services and comply with the standards,” he said. Following the series of complaints on social media a few months back, the management of Baho International Hospital came out and apologized to the aggrieved patients, and promised to do better. This came after the MoH had carried out a brief investigation on the hospital at that time. “We would like to express our sincere apology to the public and especially our patients whom we have let down recently in customer care,” reads a letter from the hospital, signed by Joseph Kayibanda, the Hospital Chairperson. “BIH remains committed to implementing the necessary steps to ensure that all patients and customers are taken care of to the highest degree of excellence and in line with the development of Rwandas health sector,” it continued. Efforts to speak to hospital management on Saturday were futile by press time.
