Eye patients in Eastern Province can now say goodbye to long distance commuting to Kabgayi Eye Hospital as New Gahini Eye Hospital will be set up at Gahini Hospital. On Thursday, July 20, authorities began breaking ground for the new eye center with the aim of not only saving patients over long distances but also relieving pressure on Kabgaya Hospital.
The New Gahini Eye Hospital is valued at Rwanda Francs 900 million and will be equipped with the latest equipment. It will serve as a center for comprehensive eye care in the Eastern Province. The aim is to provide diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services for blind and people who are visually impaired.
Jean-Paul Sindikubwabo,who is head of Gahini Hospital’s ophthalmology department, pointed out that of the ten district hospitals found in the Eastern Province, only Gahini Hospital has a permanent resident ophthalmologist. The issue has been a quite great challenge for patients who seek eye treatments, but with the launch of the new eye center, this issue will soon be done away with. The hospital, which is expected to be built soon, will curb critical problems such as the lack of operating rooms, especially those dedicated to treating children’s eye diseases.
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New Gahini Eye Hospital Bed Capacity
After completion, the New Gahini Eye will have 35 patient beds, equipped cinema theaters and comfortable resting places for patients after undergoing surgery. In addition, the number of patient consultations foreseen is to rise from 4,000 to 20,000.
Eye patient Petronille Musabyemariya, who spoke to the New Times, expressed her sense of relief, saying, “Recently, eye patients who needed surgery had to travel over long distances to Kabgayi Hospital especially if the eye patient had limited mobility.”
According to Petronille Musabyemariya, the New Gahini Eye Hospital that will be constructed will greatly help eye patients cut their travelling costs to Kabgayi Hospital situated in the Southern province, which is currently the only inpatient hospital for eye surgeries.
