Kigali: A number of Rwandans seeking cardiovascular treatments from foreign countries are still intriguing high due to an existing skills gap to attend particular specialized medical care. Thus, a dire need to bolster the human resource and extend capacity to advance medical education would be crucial responses.
This was observed during the Cardiothoracic Surgery Symposium.
Citing the 2019 report, Dr. Francois Uwinkindi, the NCD’s Manager Division, Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), revealed that out of 17 premature deaths under the age of 70 are a resultant of non-communicable diseases.
He disclosed the country’s targets to reduce premature death from NCD’s mortality by 25% by the year 2025.
He further added, the regulatory body (RBC) is doing what it can to foster and ensure national multisectoral collaboration in mitigating economic and medical burden of NCD’s, reducing morbidity and material deaths.
As part of the initiative to reduce mortality rate, he said, a combative mechanism is put in place to eradicate premature death caused by drug abuse. “We no longer exhibit tobacco advertisements and we put as much effort in limiting alcohol advertisements as possible,” he added.
The strategy is estimated to cost up to an expenditure worth 300 million USD approximately 359.5 billion Rwandan Francs.
Further highlights during the Symposium indicated that the Hypertension patients increased in clinics overtime with 104654 patients to 92303 patients in 2022 and 101830 in 2020.
Also, the RBC report of 2021 indicate that the Cardiovascular diseases patients totaled to (111,054) and (649) for cardiomyopathy while the rheumatic heart diseases reached (949) and congenital heart diseases (1,5520 to heart failure (879).
According to Dr. Yayu Mekonen, the Paediatric Surgeon at King Faysal Hospital there is a huge gap in the local medical scene especially when it comes to a number of specialized medical personnel.
He further emphasized that lack of specialized doctors is hugely corroborated by unmodern advanced laboratories which would capably cater to local heart patients.
“We want to have trained cardiologists from Rwanda and specialized services are somehow expensive alongside a huge health budget.
He explained that there are currently a total of three pediatric cardiologists, one cardiothoracic surgeon and two perfusionists in the FY 2021 indicating a tangible gap of the trained heart specialists.
On this note, he said; “We need more trained cardiologists in the country as the number of the patients is likely to increase,” he said, adding, “Our endeavor is to deliver proper medication.”
“We aim to become a referral Centre for countries around Rwanda,” he further noted. (End)