Kigali, Rwanda, September 4, 2018 – Today Rwanda Paediatric Association in partnership with the Ministry of Health, has officially started a two day scientific Conference in Kigali. 

This third Scientific Conference organised under the theme, “Moving forward in Neonatal and Pediatric Care in Rwanda”   brings together nurses in neonatology and pediatric services - General practitioners in neonatology and pediatric services and other stakeholders involved in pediatric care in Rwanda.

While officially opening the conference, the Minister of Health Dr. Diane Gashumba  said more efforts are needed to reduce child health mortality. “We need to develop more interventions and well devised strategies in order to reduce child mortality. This can be achieved through partnership with the stakeholders.

Dr. Diane Gashumba highlighted the ways to work to reduce child mortality in health facilities is to improve quality of care, customer care, reducing the waiting time in health facilities and being more accountable to the life of the Rwandan population.

In her opening remarks, Dr.  Lisine Tuyisenge, a pediatrician at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), and the general secretary of Rwanda Paediatric Association said the two-day conference is aimed at sharing the existing data on what was achieved in both the neonatal and pediatric care following quality of care standards.

Dr. Tuyisenge disclosed that the Rwanda Pediatric Association has put more emphasis training on neonatology for pediatric health care providers in 40 health facilities. This has yielded positive results in reducing child mortality. 

According to latest Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey, under-five mortality in Rwanda reduced from 152 in 2005 to 50 deaths per 1000 live births in 2015.During the same period, infant mortality followed the same trends, decreasing from 86 to 32 per 1000 live births.

There has also been a decrease in maternal mortality ratio (MMR) over the last fifteen years, dropping from 1071 in 2000 to 210 per 100,000 live births in 2015.

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For more information, please contact: 

Mr Malick KAYUMBA, Rwanda Health Communication Center/ Rwanda Biomedical Center/ Tel: +250 788 350 035/                  Email: malick.kayumba@rbc.gov.rw