Rwanda's media praises local hospital funded by China

China has been praised for its contribution towards the health and welfare of almost 400,000 people in Rwanda, thanks to the construction of the Masaka regional referral hospital in south central Uganda. 

The China-funded Masaka hospital in Kicukiro District, Rwanda, seen here on October 19, 2015. [File photo: Xinhua]

Dr. Marcel Uwizeye, the director of Masaka hospital, was quoted in an article published by local newspaper The New Times as saying that their team of six Chinese doctors have treated an estimated 15,000 patients per year. The doctor said that the team has introduced Traditional Chinese Medicine into their treatments, and are helping to train staff to improve their skills, especially in dentistry and orthopedics. 

"Under bilateral scholarships, three doctors went to study Masters' degrees in China and one (in dentistry) graduated and came back to serve our community," Uwizeye said.

The hospital was set up in 2011 primarily to serve the 380,000 people living in the Kicukiro District of Kigali, according to The New Times. It provides services including HIV treatment, emergency care, dentistry, and mental health services. The hospital is "one of the results of the more than 47 years of cooperation between the two countries," said The New Times.