"Building capacity for delivery
of quality health services to communities"
MISSION
The mission of Kigali Health Institute is to
build capacity for preventive, curative, rehabilitative
and promotive health for individuals, families
and the community. The Institute shall achieve
the mission through basic and in-service training
of health personnel, conducting operational and
academic research, advocacy and health service
delivery.
BACKGROUND
Kigali Health Institute is an institute of higher
Education established in June 1996by the Ministry
of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of
Education. The Institute was created to solve
the problem of inadequate health personnel both
in quality and quantity. The shortage of health
personnel had been worsened by the tragic events
of 1994 which resulted into poor delivery of health
services and coverage. The demand for doctors
and nurses were respectively high because the
shortage was as bad as 55,705 population per doctor
and 6,365 population per nurse. The need for both
doctors and nurses were equivalent to about 40%
in 1997. The need for qualified physiotherapists,
radiology technicians, anesthetists, laboratory
technicians, dentists, hospital managers and Environmental
Health Scientists is much higher because they
were non-existent at the time of the war.
Kigali Health Institute started with two sections
of Anesthesia and Physiotherapy. It was formally
established by Law No 07/02/ 2002 of The Republic
of Rwanda. Kigali Health Institute is empowered
to award degrees, diplomas and certificates to grduates
marking successful completion of the relevant studies.
The Institute which started with 43 students has
increased the enrollment to 839. Eight departments,
a Center for Continuing Education and a partnership
with Natal University to award Degrees for Health
professional teachers have been established. The
current departments of Kigali Health Institute are;
Nursing and Midwifery, Anesthesia, Radiology, Laboratory
techniques, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Mental health
and Environmental Health Sciences.
Goal
To improve the quality of health for the individuals,
families and communities by providing qualified
health personnel at the operational and managerial
levels.
Objectives
1. To train sufficient number of qualified nurses
and paramedical personnel capable of providing quality
medical services
2. To qualify environmental and other community
based health personnel who will provide disease
preventive and health promotive services
3. To improve performance of health personnel through
continuing education
4. To offer continued training to personnel who
teach professional health subjects in schools
5. To promote technology in the health field
6. To promote research and advocacy for the purpose
of improving health care
7. To teach strategies relating to safeguarding
public health
Strategies
The strategies are:
- Basic training of the health professionals
- Continued training of in-service personnel
- Operational research and advocacy
- Participate in Health care delivery
- Development of Information and communication technology
- Collaboration with similar institutions of training
in health within and outside the country
- Organize French & English language courses
to facilitate students comprehension of the professional
training
FUTURE
PERSPECTIVES
1. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health
assigned KHI to open other departments in order
to cope with the shortage of health management personnel,
teachers of health training institutions and community
based health personnel.
2. KHI co-operate with other institutions for the
development and promotion of information and Communication
Technologies (ICT)
3. Conduct intensive research with in the health
framework and intensify the collaboration with other
Government Departments and NGO
4. Invest in the infrastructure development of :Multipurpose
hall, Classrooms, Kitchen and restaurant for students,
Polyclinic, Library, Students' hostels.
5. Establish Bachelor's
degree course in the various health fields for high
level capacity for operational research, supervisory
and management functions.
6. Strengthen the functioning of the Continuing
Education Center which will bridge the professional
gap of the inadequately trained personnel
7. Establish a clinic in order to contribute to
health care provision to the public as well as providing
practical training opportunity to KHI students.
The pilot services shall include oral care, physiotherapy,
maternity and referral laboratory
8. Establish a reagent conditioning laboratory
MANAGEMENT
Top management consist of KHI is the Director General,
the Deputy Director of Academic Affairs and Deputy
Director of Administration and Finance. The two
Deputy Directors supervise the respective Heads
of departments and services.
The Rwandan Government's Mission is to ensure the
well-being of the Rwandan population through increase
in production and poverty reduction. For a population
to be productive, it requires access to quality
health care and services. However, to ensure quality
health care the number of health professionals should
be sufficient both in quantity and in quality.
To answer to the demands of advancement of health
care and of science and technology, the management
of KHI have established a centre for Continuing
Education for nursing and paramedical staff (CEFOCK).
Starting in March 2001, the Centre has benefited
from the support of the "Agence Luxemburgeoise
pour la Coopération au Développement"
- Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation
(Lux-Development). To launch its activities, CEFOCK
started a training program for Secondary School
teachers of Health Care. Such an activity aims at
strengthening the initial training phase without
which Continuing Education would not be envisaged.
This program is based on the training requirements
identified during an Ad Hoc study carried out on
10 schools during the month of May 2001. CEFOCK
has also opened its doors to practitioners in the
public health system by offering its expertise through
Continuing Education. CEFOCK thus encourages requests
for refresher courses for Health care personnel.
Mission of CEFOCK
CEFOCK targets the promotion of the Rwandan people's
wellbeing through continued training of nurses and
paramedical staff responsible for training and health
care. This continued training will enable them to
acquire skills including updated professional aptitudes,
thus ensuring high quality health care.
Objectives
CEFOCK has the following objectives:
Ensure a level of continuing education that is capable
of enhancing the professional skills of nursing
and paramedical staff.
Improve the basic training requirements of nurses
and paramedical staff by ensuring a professional
and methodological training of trainers
Strategy
Draw up annual training programs in the course of
workshops
Train CEFOCK trainers
Establish a partnership framework for Health training
Collaborate with resource persons of KHI and other
key partners (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education,
the Private Sector).
Activities carried out during the year 2001
- Study for identification of training requirements
in 10 Nursing Schools
- Teacher training programs for Continuing Education
- Elaboration of 6 training modules focusing on:
Semiology and Propedeutics, Quality Assurance, Introduction
to teacher training and teaching methods, Gyneco-Obstetric
nursing care, Health Centre Management, Introduction
to Computers
- Organisation of 5 weeks of training
- Visits to monitor continuing education in schools
Current Projects
Determination of level of skills for students studying
Nursing
Elaboration of training modules and organisation
of seminars adapted towards the requirements of
individual clients
Development of expertise for purposes of counselling
in matters relating to continuing education
Evaluation of training requirements for Health personnel
Reorientation/Refresher courses for Health personnel.