Chinese Government provides RMB 100 million grant for Masaka Hospital Construction Project

Project narrative

In 2006, the Chinese Government agreed to provide an RMB 60 million grant for the design and construction of the Masaka hospital in the Kicukiro District in Kigali. However, the grant did not initially disburse until August 20, 2008. Eventually, the Chinese Government provided an additional RMB 40 million of grant funding, bringing its total grant commitment for the project to RMB 100 million. The purpose of this project was to build a hospital with 100 beds and internal medicine, surgery, women and children departments, providing medical services to 320,000 local residents. China also provided medical equipment that the hospital might need to make it have better medical conditions. Construction began on May 7, 2009. The project was completed and the hospital was put into use on August 18, 2011. The hospital is located in the Masaka neighborhood, in the capital city of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda and the largest city in that country. Its location lies approximately 17 kilometres, by road, east of the central business district of Kigali. The geographical coordinates of Masaka Hospital are 01°59'30.0"S, 30°12'43.0"E (Latitude: -1.991667; Longitude: 30.211944). The hospital offers services in general medicine, emergency medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, dentistry, orthopedic surgery, and psychiatry. As of July 2018, the hospital was operated by a team of six Chinese doctors assisted by a smaller number of Rwandan medical doctors and dentists. Other disciplines offered at this hospital include maternity services, internal medicine, pediatrics, imaging services, general surgery, tuberculosis treatment, nutrition services, general anesthesia, HIV/AIDS treatment, and outpatient services. The hospital is intended to serve, primarily the residents of (a) Kicukiro District (b) Gasabo District and (c) Rwamagana District. The target population numbers between 380,000 and 400,000 people. The hospital is administered directly by the Rwanda Ministry of Health.