KAYONZA - Over 60% of Nyakabungo Health Centre based in Mwiri Sector of Rwamagana District was destroyed by fire Wednesday evening.

This was revealed by Anita Mutesi, the Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Affairs in Kayonza District.

"It is true that fire gutted the health centre and what we are doing, is to make quick interventions, so that residents continue getting medical service despite the destruction. We have informed the Ministry of Health and they will join us soon,” she told The New Times.

Denis Uwera the in charge of health in the district said the cause of the fire, could have been one of the faulty refrigerators at the facility.

She said that the fire caused heavy losses at a health centre that serves over 16,000 people.

"Fire came from a vaccination room where five refrigerators are kept. One of them could have been the cause of the problem before spreading to other rooms,” she said.

According to Ildephonse Habonimana, the in charge of the health centre, at least nine rooms were destroyed, leaving the rest of the building with large cracks.

Habonimana said that treatment of patients will continue in the few rooms that survived the fire, until it is renovated.

He said that all patients were evacuated in time.

Jean Claude Murindahabi a resident of Mwiri Sector lamented the destruction caused by the fire, saying that the health centre was of great importance to them.

He said that now most of the patients will start travelling long distances to get treatment at Gahini Hospital.

"Gahini Hospital is quite far from Mwiri, we however, have to endure the suffering until our health centre is rebuilt.

The health centre is one of the model ones that were built by the Ministry of Health in 1998, at an estimated cost of Rwf 50 million.

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