A modern hospital under construction in Munini has motivated the population of Nyaruguru to pay the health insurance, “Mutuelle”, at 100% in some localities of this district of the Southern Province.
This modern health infrastructure offered to the population of Nyaruguru by the Head of State, Paul Kagame, was a source of motivation to pay the Mutuelle on time and at a very high percentage.
“The population was motivated by President Kagame’s promise to pay the Mutuelle. In 2018-2019, the inhabitants paid their contribution at 85%, the following year at 94.3%, for the year ending at the end of June 98.25% and for the next budget year 2021-2022, they are already at 28.6%,” says Mayor Janvier Gashema. “Some cells like Muhambara or Cyahinda are at 100%, because everyone would like to benefit from the services of the new hospital,” he added.
According to the Director General of the hospital, Dr Philippe Nteziryayo, the work is almost finished. “There is not much left to do, the construction site will be closed in two months,” said the Director General of Munini Hospital, Dr Philippe Nteziryayo.
“When will Munini Hospital start providing services?” is the question on everyone’s lips. And the director general and the mayor of Nyaruguru, nobody could find a satisfactory answer. “The tender for the equipment of the hospital was launched by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC),” replied Mayor Janvier Gashema.
Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, director general of RBC, did not want to react to our questions about the tender. “We will not be able to move from the old hospital to the new one because the equipment is inadequate,” said Dr Nteziryayo. The population will have to wait until the new hospital is equipped with new materials.
Maybe soon a specialized hospital
The Munini hospital has a large capacity compared to the old one, which was built in several separate units. In the first phase, 165 beds were planned. But in total, the inpatient capacity will be 300 beds. “The old hospital had a capacity of between 52 and 60 beds,” says Nteziryayo.
Sometimes, some patients were not received and had to go to Kigeme hospital in Nyamagabe district or to Kabutare in Huye district. Soon they will all be treated at Munini, a district hospital, before being transferred to Butare University Hospital (CHUB) if necessary. “They will be able to benefit from quality service in a spacious hospital,” Mayor Gashema promises.
“As soon as you arrive at the reception, you don’t have to go out and walk from door to door looking for services,” explains the Director General, Dr Philippe Nteziryayo.
“The new hospital is built in a modern way and has several departments,” says Dr Nteziryayo. There are nine of them, namely maternity, pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine, high dependency unit, imaging department including X-ray and ultrasound, dentistry, oxygen distribution department and outpatient department.
However, there are fears that the hospital will be under-utilized. “To avoid underutilization, we have proposed to the Ministry of Health that this health infrastructure be specialized,” says Mayor Janvier Gashema. The cost of the first phase is 9 billion Rwandan francs. In total, the work will cost more than 14 billion Rwandan francs.
Gérard Rugambwa
Mini hospital it’s wandaful