Speaking during the ground-breaking ceremony for the King Faisal Hospital (KFH) expansion on Monday, July 22, President Kagame noted that the expansion of health facilities will contribute to ongoing efforts to build more healthcare capacity in the country, ensuring that Rwandans won't need to travel abroad to seek treatment.
The Head of State emphasized that the government will continue to partner with relevant institutions to improve its capacity in this key sector to even benefit healthcare demands in the region.
In the latest partnership between the Ministry of Health, the King Faisal Hospital Rwanda Foundation, and Shelter Group Africa, KFH says it will expand its bed capacity from 157 to 400, thereby increasing access to its services.
The expansion of KFH will add approximately 88,000 square meters to the existing infrastructure, accommodating advanced treatments for complex ailments, including heart surgery, joint replacements, and cancer therapy.
President Kagame lauded the institutions behind the expansion works, expressing his confidence that they will deliver. He revealed that he had broken his own vow of only presiding over completed projects to attend the ground-breaking ceremony because he trusts the partners involved.
'I had reduced my attendance at ground-breaking ceremonies to almost zero and preferred to attend ceremonies where something was already completed. However, due to the importance of this project and the great trust I have in those who invited me, I had to come. I broke my own rules because of that trust,' he stated.
At the same time, the President emphasized that training medical officers remains a priority in the healthcare transformation agenda, despite the frustrations that are often encountered. He urged that beneficiaries of international programs should apply the knowledge gained to advance local systems to higher levels.
'You send people to train abroad, they come back, but you continue sending patients for treatment outside. It doesn't add up. We want this to translate into growth in capacity here in our country, in as many fields as we can, so that our people and others from the region can get the services they need from us, right here,' he added.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
