The Ministry of health commemorated 41 former employees of the Ministry and its affiliated agencies who were murdered during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis. The commemoration ceremonies that took place on 12 April 2022 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health in Kicukiro district and through live streaming brought together all the staff of the Ministry and its affiliated agencies, its partners as well as former employees who survived in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis as well as the representatives of the victims who worked in the Ministry.
During the commemoration ceremony, Dr. Daniel Ngamije, the Minister of Health together with the staff, and the ex-employees who survived the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi paid tribute to the victims and acknowledged those who attended the event.
“Commemorating is a special moment to restore the dignity of the former staff as well as patients who were brutally killed during 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in different health institutions and health facilities, it is a time to honor bravery of survivors without their families and loved ones for fighting for living after the Genocide against the Tutsi.” Said Dr. Ngamije.
In his remarks, the Minister of Health reminded the participants of heroic acts of RPF soldiers and other heroes who risked their lives to save Rwandans.
“The hope was restored by the heroic acts of the former RPF/RPA Soldiers who liberated the country; therefore, they were the role model that we, staff of the health sector, should emulate to safeguard the dignity of every Rwandan; we are still stick to this model in the battle to restore humanity and hope of living among Rwandans.” Said Minister Ngamije
Minister Ngamije promised that the Ministry would work to identify former staff who hid and protected the survivors during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis and reward them for their heroic spirit.
Stanislas Simugomwa, a genocide survivor who worked for the Ministry of Health until 1994 said that in the Ministry at that time most of the staff were full of divisionism and played a big role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis.
” Please, fight bad governance whenever you see it, because it is the root cause of all evil deeds as it happened in the Ministry of Health during 1994 Genocide against Tutsis, some members of the staff were full of hatred and divisionism. They played a big role in the Genocide against Tutsi, to the extent that Ministry’s vehicles were utilised to carry the Interahamwe militia to hunt and kill the Tutsi at their homes.” Said Simugomwa.
As of now, the Ministry of Health has recorded 56 doctors and 73 nurses who committed Genocide during 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, while they had responsibility to protect health of Rwandan people.
Every year on 7th April, Rwanda commences a period of a 100-days commemoration of the 1994 Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi where more than a million people were massacred merely in three months. (End)