Kigali 12 August 2024 – During his two-day visit to Rwanda, the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Badr Abdelaaty, accompanied by the Rwandan Minister of Health, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana visited the construction site of a new heart hospital in Masaka, Kigali. The visit is marked by two main activities: the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Rwandan FDA and the Egyptian Medicines Authority, and the handover of medical equipment for the hospital.
The MY Rwanda-Egypt Heart Care Centre is due to be completed next year, 2025, and will provide advanced cardiac care for a range of cardiac conditions in need in Rwanda and the region.
Rwanda and neighbouring countries face a significant burden of congenital and acquired heart disease, particularly in children and young adults. We recognise the urgent need for specialised cardiac care and are committed to providing comprehensive services to patients in Rwanda.
The new Heart Hospital will offer advanced cardiac procedures, including complex open-heart surgery and cardiac catheterisation, free of charge to patients.
This will be an important milestone as it will be the first dedicated heart centre of its kind in Central Africa. As well as meeting immediate healthcare needs, this centre’s mission extends to education, training and research.
Currently, a group of Rwandan nurses are being trained at the Aswan Heart Centre in Egypt. These dedicated individuals are studying for a three-year Masters in Advanced Cardiovascular Nursing, with the aim of increasing local expertise and reducing reliance on external specialists in the future.
The construction of the MY Rwanda-Egypt Heart Centre is being carried out in an environmentally friendly manner. It will follow international accreditation to ensure that the infrastructure is built to high standards of sustainability, incorporating renewable energy sources such as solar panels.
On the other side, the signature of the MoU between Rwanda FDA and EDA marks a step forward in improving bilateral cooperation in the field of pharmaceuticals and in sustaining efficient regulatory systems by ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of locally registered pharmaceutical products in the two countries
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