The Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga marked its 25th anniversary with a fundraising exercise that targeted placing advanced medical equipment at the center of its long-term vision to support the health sector.

The Silver Jubilee celebration held on March 28 at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Kigali Convention Centre, was a commemoration of a quarter-century of service and a call to action. The club launched a fundraising campaign aimed at acquiring a SPECT scanner, an imaging machine used in diagnosing complex diseases, including cancer and heart conditions, and a PET scanner, which allows doctors to observe how tissues and organs are functioning at a cellular level.

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Unlike conventional imaging such as CT or MRI scans, which primarily show structure, PET scans reveal metabolic activity in the body. This makes them especially effective in detecting cancer, assessing its spread, and monitoring response to treatment.

Cancer cases in Rwanda have increased from 2,745 in 2019 to 6,896 in 2025. Cancer also accounts for 34 per cent of all medical referrals abroad, hence the growing burden on the country’s healthcare system.

In light of this, Rotarians emphasized the urgent need to acquire the equipment in Rwanda to enable early diagnosis and improve access to advanced medical care.

They also pointed out that across the region, about 340 million East Africans rely on 7 scanners, while more than 20 African countries still lack nuclear medicine technologies such as SPECT, SPECT-CT, or PET.

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Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Health, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, noted that investing in such technologies is both timely and necessary.

He said that non-communicable diseases, particularly heart disease and cancer, are now the leading causes of death globally and in Rwanda.

"Out of ten patients who travel abroad for treatment, about seven go for PET scans,” he said.

Currently, many Rwandans seek these diagnostic procedures in countries like India, often at a cost of up to $4,000 per test, including other expenses. With local availability, the same service could cost around $400, which is a significant reduction in the financial burden on patients and the healthcare system.

The Minister noted that the government is already in the process of establishing a PET scan facility at the Rwanda Military Hospital.

"Today, medicine is about precision,” Nsanzimana said. "With technologies like PET and SPECT, you don’t guess. You see exactly what is happening in the body.”

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While PET scans are primarily used to detect and monitor cancer at a molecular level, SPECT scans provide complementary insights. SPECT imaging creates detailed 3D images that show how blood flows to tissues and organs, making it particularly useful in diagnosing heart disease, brain disorders, and certain cancers.

According to Alex Ndibwami, incoming president of the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga for 2026–2027, the planned equipment is estimated to cost over $5 million, would have the capacity to scan up to 50 patients per day.

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Ndibwami acknowledged that while the Rotary Club has made an initial contribution of about $40,000 during the ceremony, the journey ahead remains substantial.

"This is just the beginning,” he said. "We are looking at a one- to three-year effort, working with other Rotary clubs, corporate partners, and international grants to reach our goal.”

The Rotary movement in Rwanda, which includes ten clubs, plans to collaborate closely on the initiative. The club also intends to tap into corporate social responsibility programmes and explore partnerships with telecommunications and insurance companies to mobilize resources.

Ndibwami suggested innovative fundraising models where small contributions could be embedded into everyday transactions, such as allocating a fraction of mobile payments toward the project.

Health experts believe that the combined availability of PET and SPECT technologies could reduce late-stage cancer diagnoses in Rwanda. Early detection is critical since cancers identified at an early stage are easily cured, with survival rates exceeding 80 percent in some cases, such as breast cancer.

Minister Nsanzimana noted that the country already receives over 5,000 international patients annually, and the addition of such high-end imaging technologies would further strengthen its standing.

"This is not just about Rwanda,” he noted. "It’s about raising the standard of healthcare across the region and the continent.”

"The best thing about science is that human beings are happier when they help others. You feel happier than when you are only focused on yourself. We share the same goals, and we will continue to work together to ensure that we help others because helping others is actually one of the best things we can do for ourselves as well,” he said.