Newly appointed Health Minister, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana has vowed to help tackle particular issues that have dogged the sector for long. Nsanzimana said this on Wednesday, after he, alongside the new State Minister Dr. Yvan Butera, were officially sworn in by President Paul Kagame at Parliament. Reacting to particular issues which are set to be prioritized, Minister Nsanzimana said that he was familiar with a couple of them, given his experience in the sector. Nsanzimana was, until the appointment, serving as Director General of the University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB), an office he assumed after leading the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC). The epidemiologist has also previously served as the Director of National HIV Program for Rwanda and Division Manager for HIV/AIDS and viral Hepatitis at the Institute of HIV Disease Prevention and Control at RBC. “We have a number of them, and this I say because of my previous responsibilities. Our main task is to address these problems.” With new duties, Nsanzimana pointed out, comes a lot of responsibility, citing that his team was committed to “achieve a lot.” Minister of State Yvan Butera echoed similar sentiments, reiterating the commitment to provide quality health for Rwandans. Butera, previously served as Deputy Executive Secretary for Human Resources for Health in the same ministry since July 2021. He also served as a physician at various hospitals in Rwanda since graduating from the University of Rwanda, School of Medicine and Surgery in 2014, including five years at the Rwanda Military Hospital. The 32-year old holds a PhD in Medical Sciences (Human Genetics) at the University of Liège in Belgium and holds a Masters of Global Health Delivery from University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. Key ministry Speaking at the swearing ceremony, President Kagame said that the newly elected Ministers are joining an important position, where they will be tasked with fighting off the biggest health bottlenecks in the country. Most importantly, Kagame said, they are joining at a time when countries all over the world, Rwanda inclusive, are facing several epidemics, including the Covid-19 pandemic. “But your work is cut out, if you choose to serve the people first, and rest assured that you have my full support.” Meanwhile, the head of state also addressed several topics including DR Congo security challenges, as well as Rwanda’s peacekeeping missions in several countries.
