Addressing members of the press on Saturday, April 20, 2024, Deacon Jimmy John Simon, a representative of the church, said the 220-bed facility will be constructed alongside a university and research center, to help train healthcare professionals and aid in the local production of drugs.
The project, being undertaken at Kanombe in Kicukiro district, is estimated to cost $60 million (RWF 76.76 billion), with completion scheduled for the end of 2025.
Deacon Simon said the facility will be known as Believers Hospital and Research Center upon completion and will contribute to the advancement of healthcare in Africa.
"We are in the eighth month of construction, and hopefully, we should finish by the end of 2025. It should be ready by early 2026," Deacon Simon told reporters.
'As per my research, only one to five percent of the medicines in Africa is produced locally. The rest are being imported. We want to change that so that all the medicines and technologies can be locally available,' he added.
The facility will be equipped with modern equipment and will offer a wide range of specialised services including cardiology and dermatology.
The initiative to build the hospital and research center in Rwanda, Deacon Simon revealed, followed discussions with a former ambassador of Rwanda to India and the country's progress and leadership under President Paul Kagame.
"The former ambassador of Rwanda to India had come to our hospital and seen the facilities and services that we provide. He asked the leaders of our church, 'Why not bring these facilities to Rwanda?' We were curious, thinking that it's in Africa. We had our fears," he stated.
The envoy had visited India and was impressed by the success of a similar 1000-bed capacity hospital in the Asian country, which also trains and releases 200 doctors and nurses to the market every year.
Deacon Simon said that despite initial fears about investing in Rwanda, the perception changed upon their visit to Rwanda.
'When we researched and initially came to this country, the perception changed. Rwanda is not what we thought about. It's so safe. It's one of the safest countries in Africa and, I would say, in the world. It's so clean. I am proud of our President, His Excellency Paul Kagame, for his exemplary governance and leadership. The best example any people can have. The way the country is now is excellent,' he stated.
'Looking at all these positive things about Rwanda we said it is the best place to bring this facility and serve the people of Africa,' he added.
Deacon Simon affirmed that the hospital will reduce the cost incurred by patients to travel to countries such as India to seek treatment.
'By bringing this hospital here with all the technology and medical professional you reduce the cost of travel and at the same get the best treatment possible within your own country,' he averred.
To increase access to healthcare for all Rwandans, the church aims to collaborate with the government to ensure everyone can use health insurance schemes like Mutuelle de santé at the hospital.
Deacon Simon insisted that the facility would be a mission hospital offering services at affordable rates.
'As a church we don't see as a business. We see this as a mission hospital. We are here to serve not to create business or profit,' he said.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
