A visiting delegation from Sweden on Tuesday commended Rwanda’s efforts towards infrastructure development as it positions itself to become a health tourism hub.

The delegation was participating in a workshop at Gorilla Golf Hotel in Nyarutarama along with officials from the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Centre and Rwanda Development Board.

Led by State Secretary at the Swedish Ministry of Health, Agneta Karlsson, the delegation included specialists in non-communicable diseases, mother and child healthcare as well as health infrastructure services.

"Rwanda has made significant progress in health but we believe more can be achieved. Sweden and Rwanda have a long term development cooperation, it’s our second time here and we want to widen our engagement in business cooperation,” said Karlsson.

She added that three areas have been identified and could be improved with more investments from the private sector.

"We have highlighted three areas; maternity, infrastructure and non communicable diseases. Non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, are everywhere. Swedish companies have good experience in these as well as oncology. Our expertise in maternal health and child health can also be useful for Rwanda,” she added.

Other members of the delegation included Swedish Chargé d’Affaires Maria Håkansson, Maria Helling, the CEO of Swecare, and representatives from Pharmaceutical and Swedish health companies.

Dr Solange Hakiba, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, pointed out that there are still opportunities in the health sector, which should be exploited by private investments.

"We are working with RDB and RBC to see how we can involve more players,” she said.

Dr Hakiba added that if more health equipment were manufactured in the country, more job opportunities would be available for Rwandans in addition to accessing drugs at a lower cost.

"The government has been keen on leveraging investors to make sure we can have products manufactured in Rwanda at an affordable cost,” Hakiba added.

James Kamanzi, the Acting Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre, observed that certain challenges within the health sector could be addressed with better diagnostic tools.

"That is already an area for investment. They may decide to come as traders or set up plants here. For example, in maternal health they can provide a number of services, especially those we usually import,” Kamanzi said.

On the issue of non-communicable diseases, Kamanzi pointed out that private investors are necessary to improve the gaps in cancer treatment.

"Obviously we have one hospital specialising in cancer. Not everyone will get treatment from Butaro. Scaling up the fight with more clinics and tools would help. Either way, we are open to these opportunities,” he added.

The 2012 Gallup report revealed that Rwanda was one of the safest countries in the region. And, with over 150 million people across the East African Community and at least 300 million from COMESA, investments in Rwanda have high returns, according to experts.

Exhibiting Swedish innovations

Fredrik Jansson, a Business Manager from Elekta, said solutions for treatment of cancer in the body and the brain could be addressed using modern 3D equipment.

"Neurosurgery here is good but needs more equipment. For example, we have the Leksell stereotactic system that can replace the dangerous craniotomy procedure that exposes the brain to danger. In this case, the specific haemorrhage is cleared with just a narrow hole bored in the skull as observed on the CT scan and MRI machine,” Jansson said.

Dr Fredrih Buch, from Lantmannen AS Faktor, showcased an oral solution that clears diarrhoea in children.

"The special powder produced from egg york is taken by children with diarrhoea. It is protein based because when you have diarrhoea, a lot of proteins are lost. This solution takes one about three hours to get stable again and get well,” Buch said.

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