PHOTOS: President Kagame inaugurates Rwanda Cancer Centre at Rwanda Military Hospital

Today As part of World Cancer Day, President Paul Kagame inaugurated the first-ever Radiotherapy cancer centre at Rwanda Military Hospital, in Kanombe, Kicukiro district.

The model cancer centre is a relief to cancer patients as it will reduce the costs incurred while seeking treatment abroad.

The radiotherapy centre is equipped with two Linear Accelerators from Elekta and will be offering advanced treatment techniques with Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy to all clients.

The modern cancer treatment centre has the capacity to receive 80 patients per day will provide cancer treatment to patients in Rwanda and from the region.

According to the Ministry of Health, the Radiotherapy centre is among the most advanced of its kind in East Africa and it will provide comprehensive cancer treatment and supportive care palliative care for patients with late-stage diagnosis.

Speaking at the inauguration the ceremony, President Kagame said that the facility is a landmark in medical services in Rwanda.

“I want to begin by commending everyone involved in making the Rwanda Cancer Centre a reality. This facility is a landmark in medical services in Rwanda. It is not only the first and only radiotherapy centre in Rwanda, but it is also one of the most advanced in our region,” President Kagame said.

The centre’s main aim is to offer specialised treatment in regards to cancer treatment and reduce on the costs incurred while seeking treatment abroad.

The head of state noted: “The Rwanda Cancer Centre is already saving lives with several hundred patients having been treated. We have been spending large sums of money to send a few patients abroad each year for cancer treatment.

He added; “We don't have a lot of money in the first place, but then large sums of money were being spent treating a few patients but we have many patients to treat. We need to take that into account and that is really the importance of the centre we have here and what we see in the near future as the extension of it to accommodate many other things. Now, many more Rwandans will be able to get the care they need with their families close by,”

With time, Rwanda Cancer Centre will grow to encompass the full range of diagnostic and treatment services, on both an in-patient and out-patient basis.

President Kagame noted that despite the fact that Rwanda’s health sector still has a lot of work to do, but having a modern cancer centre is the kind of progress the country is pursuing in the health care system in general.

“Prevention is just as important as cure. There are many things that are being done,” President Kagame said adding; “We hope in the near future we will have the extension of the centre which will see a hospital built here. Things are getting better and we are likely to start building the hospital soon. We are doing everything possible and we will make sure it happens. This centre is not going to be here in isolation. It will be here with other centres and a hospital that are going to be developed,”

The head of state also thanked people who have worked have partnered with the Government of Rwanda to have the modern cancer centre at Rwanda Military Hospital.

“I wish to thank our partners in this effort, the Global Fund, and PEPFAR, through the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I also thank UNTEC and its subcontractors for the excellent work in making the centre operational, in conjunction with Rwanda Military Hospital,” President Kagame noted.