New Kiziguro Hospital nears completion

Construction works on the new Kiziguro Hospital structures are in the final stages, officials have said. The new structures are expected to address the challenge of congestion at the hospital. Dr Diocles Mukama Twagiramungu, the hospital’s head of administration said the new structures will be operational by December this year. “Since the construction begun in 2012 work has been moving on steadily. We have all the reasons to assure everyone that the remaining work will not take longer than anticipated. The hospital will begin operating under its new roof by December this year,” said Mukama in a recent interview. Kiziguro Hospital receives 70 percent of the patients in Gatsibo District, in a population of about 400,000 residents up from 40,000 when it opened in 1985. For many years, according to Mukama, the hospital has been carrying out slight renovations until June 2012 when they took an initiative of erecting new infrastructures for the whole hospital. According to the plan, the hospital will be constructed in three phases. The first phase is nearly complete at 85 percent. The second phase will see the construction of a VIP clinic and pharmacy followed by a mental care wing. All the phases will cover 2 hectares of land. The entire construction is expected to cost Rwf2.5b of which the first phase consumed Rwf750m. The construction is funded by the Catholic Church in partnership with government. During her recent visit to the hospital, the Minister for Health Dr Agnes Binagwaho hailed the speed at which the new hospital structures are being constructed. She had earlier toured the old structures, where the hospital currently operates. “I think everyone can recognise that the hospital is operating under a challenging situation of being overcrowded,” she said. However, she added that the challenges will come to an end when the new structures are completed. The hospital has been in the media over concerns of poor services at the hospital including reports that two patients share a single bed while the maternity ward is overcrowded. The minister said the new infrastructure would address these challenges. “We would like to see ample space for every patient but meanwhile before the hospital achieves that, patients can’t be turned away. We are all being patient because the whole process can’t be achieved in a single day.” editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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New Kiziguro Hospital nears completion