Chinese doctors conduct an operation for a local patient in Kigali, Rwanda, on August 10 (XINHUA)

Ros Kaberenge, aged 40, has received ongoing medical treatment from Chinese doctors. Some of the treatments she required is rare to find in her home country of Rwanda because of a shortage of specialized doctors. 

The mother of two girls had been suffering from a non-cancerous brain tumor on the left side of the brain. “As my tumor continued to grow larger, my speech continued to deteriorate. My communication became slower and I was experiencing extreme pain. It was life-threatening,” said Kaberenge.

She said she even traveled to the United Kingdom and South Africa for treatment, but both visits failed to remove or reduce the tumor.

“Not even some of the surgeons who were considered among the world’s best could help me,” she said.

Kaberenge said the cost of treatment was so high that she had to sell one of her family homes to help with medical bills.

Desperate for help, she decided to try Chinese doctors in Rwanda.

“They drained out my tumor using Chinese medical technology in a span of just 30 minutes,” she said.

Medical skills exchange

Kaberenge received the service at King Faisal Hospital, the largest referral hospital in Rwanda, situated in the capital Kigali.

Chinese doctors are reducing the disease burden in Rwandan hospitals by partnering with local medics. This cooperation is being facilitated through a government initiative to partner with foreign doctors.

According to the World Health Organization, Rwanda has a shortage of doctors, especially those specialized in treating specific ailments. The global health body shows that the country has only 1,350 physicians. This is a ratio of one doctor for every 8,919 people in the population.

Most of the foreign doctors in Rwanda are Chinese, and a large percentage of them are specialists. Rwanda has been losing most of its specialized medical professionals at a high rate over the last 10 years. The brain drain has undermined medical services.

“They [Chinese doctors] have made work much easier for the local doctors as the disease burden has greatly reduced. The country, just like any other society, has experienced rare and emerging diseases; so there has been a need to diagnose and treat the complications,” said Daniel Ngamije, Rwandan Minister of Health.

“We hope that we can someday launch a program to train more specialized doctors locally. There are discussions in the pipeline to partner with Chinese doctors through different exchange programs with the government and institutions of higher learning,” said Ngamije.

Some of the Chinese doctors are in private practice while others are contracted by the Rwandan Government at different facilities.

“The emergence of disease burdens and some rare diseases unfortunately means that Rwanda is in need of doctors. Just like other African countries, Rwanda is experiencing a brain drain, mostly to European and Asian countries for greener pastures,” said Ngamije. “We need to devise ways to give our medics better incentives to remain in the country and motivate them to love their work.”

A Chinese TCM doctor checks health for a local patient in Kigali, Rwanda, on August 31 (XINHUA)

Increasing medical service

Despite Rwanda having one of the best healthcare systems in Africa, it needs more specialized doctors. It is turning rapidly to China, which has some of the best healthcare systems, for cooperation in this regard.

The country has different agencies under the Ministry of Health who check qualifications of foreign doctors to confirm their bona fides.

The Chinese doctors use Chinese traditional medicine, Western medicine and Chinese medical technologies in treatment.

The Chinese doctors are recognized and highly respected, with those in private practice offering affordable rates.

Meanwhile, the government hopes to increase the number of new hospitals and upgrade the existing ones.

“As we expand the program to work more with foreign doctors, the infrastructure is also very vital for everything. We will be expanding and that’s for sure,” said Ngamije.

Some of the hospitals that have seen rapid improvement include King Faisal Hospital, University Teaching Hospital of Kigali and Kibogora Hospital, which is 193 km from the capital Kigali.

Other facilities that have greatly improved their services as a result of Chinese expertise include Gisenyi Hospital located 153 km from Kigali in Gisenyi Town. Muhima Hospital, one of the best maternity facilities in Rwanda has also seen an increase in services with very few cases of infant and maternal mortality.

In the last two years, Muhima Hospital has seen almost zero reported cases of negligence as Chinese medics continue to increase their services.

According to Director General Pascal Ncubito, the hospital has reported zero pregnancy related deaths the last two years.

“Between 2013 and 2015, maternal related deaths were high. This was partly related to an extreme shortage of gynecologists. We have worked closely with foreign doctors, including many Chinese experts.

“The situation [now] has seen zero pregnancy related deaths within the last two years. We still have some minor challenges in other departments, but things will turn around soon,” he said.

Upgrading medical schools

The Rwandan health sector is very advanced, with every person in society being a major participant. The country follows a universal healthcare model. This model provides a health insurance. It is a community driven insurance scheme in which members of the population pay premiums into a local health fund and can draw money from it when a medical need arises.

Many African countries are trying to embrace this system. Kenya is set to launch its own such initiative in the coming months.

According to Ngamije, more than 10,000 new cases of rare diseases, mostly genetic diseases, are reported across Rwandan hospitals each year. He said that the facilities are overwhelmed as a result of the brain drain of medical expertise.

“We will be upgrading our medical schools with the help of Chinese funding. We will also encourage the growth of specialized medicines. Discussions are at an advanced stage with Chinese authorities,” Ngamije added.

The country has 42 district hospitals and five referral hospitals. There are also 500 health centers. Ngamije said that with Chinese funding, they could double the number of district hospitals in five years.

The country leads its regional neighbors in the health sector. Kenya, which is East Africa’s largest economy, is also facing a shortage of doctors.

“Rwanda is doing well and it is just a matter of time before it has the best health system in Africa,” Atwoli said.

(Reporting from Rwanda)

Comments to zanjifang@chinafrica.cn