IN THIS ISSUE:
The Public Health Bulletin – Rwanda, Volume 01, Issue 1, March 2019
Online ISSN: 2663-4651, Print ISSN: 2663-4643
TABLE OF CONTENT:
Foreword
Editorial
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Determinants and reasons for low coverage of modern family planning in the Mugonero District Hospital catchment area
By: Dr. Mutagoma Mwumvaneza
Effective birth control is a key intervention in developing countries to achieve sustainable development goals. The United Nations (UN) reported that in 2015 the percentage of married couples using any form of contraceptive was 64.0%, and the average in Africa was 33.0%. This study aimed at assessing and determining factors associated with the low uptake of Modern Family Planning (MFP)
Factors associated with preventable hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in term neonates at Kacyiru hospital, Rwanda - a retrospective study
By: Dr. Ishimwe Sage Marie Consolatrice
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a type of brain injury that occurs when the brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen or blood flow occurring during pregnancy, labor and delivery or in the postnatal period. This study aimed at determining factors associated with preventable HIE at Kacyiru Hospital in Rwanda.
Prevalence of occupational noise induced hearing loss among wood and metal workers of Gakiriro, Kigali city
By: Bukuru John, MD, MMed
Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is described as an acquired hearing deficiency caused by excessive workplace noise exposure. Little is known about cases of SNHL in our developing country where excessive noise working areas are more prominent.
Medical citizen outreach programs as Rwanda Defense Force homegrown solution for health challenges in Rwanda
By: Kayondo King, MD, MMed
Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) Medical Citizen Outreach Program (COP) is a product of a longterm cordial relationship between the Rwandan population and its army from the early 1990s in the liberation struggle to now. This was part of a long plan of social economic development agenda of the government of national unity to deal with complications of genocide and a very low healthcare provider to- population ratio and the need to take medical services to the disadvantaged. A yearly intervention has been on, and its effects in uplifting the healthcare of the population are being investigated.
POLICY BRIEF
National Study in Rwanda Family planning barriers
By: Rugigana Etienne, MD, MPH, MSc
Over the last two decades, Rwanda has registered tremendous improvement in family planning (FP). The contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) in the country has tripled from 17% in 2005 to 53% in 2014-15. However, the 2014-15 Rwanda demographic and health survey (RDHS) showed a slow increase in the use of modern FP methods compared to the previous five years (only around a 3% increase), and the unmet need for contraception remains unchanged at 19% compared to the previous five years. The drop-out rate of FP users is high for unknown reasons, and yet, over the years, many strategies have been put in place to speed up FP uptake in order to reap the “demographic dividend.”
Therefore, there is a need to generate evidence to inform new strategies to address the challenges affecting the FP program, including the identification of the barriers to FP uptake and exploration of the factors associated with the low increase in the modern CPR.
Accelerating Fertility Decline to Trigger the Demographic Dividend in Rwanda
By: Rwanda - United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Rwanda’s fertility rate declined slowly up to 2005 when the country initiated one of the fastest fertility declines in human history over a five year period. The total fertility rate fell markedly from 6.3 to 4.6 children per woman between 2005 and 2010, buoyed by an impressive increase in contraceptive use. However, the rate of decline decelerated between 2010 and 2015, with the fertility rate dropping by less than half a child to 4.2 births per woman1. The infant mortality rate declined from 86 per 1000 live births to 32 per 1000 live births, while under five mortality rate declined from 152 to 50 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2005 and 2015.
Working with community malaria action teams (CMATs) contributes to malaria control
By: Marie Chantal Ingabire, Msc, PhD
Maximization of existing malaria preventive measures through active community participation is a high priority for malaria control and elimination [1-3]. Elimination of malaria should not be the responsibility of health professionals alone. Rather health professionals should work with the community to promote their participation in malaria elimination initiatives [4, 5]. This brief shares findings from the Malaria Elimination Program for Ruhuha (MEPR). This program was funded by WOTRO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research/NWO Science for Global Development). It aims at showing the multifactorial conditions of malaria in a community and the role of community participation in the elimination of malaria. Specifically, the program worked with community malaria action teams (CMATs) to sensitize the community about malaria elimination and to identify and facilitate community-based solutions for malaria elimination.
