Medical specialists conduct first liver surgery at Rwanda Military Hospital

Kigali, 20 April 2023

For the first time in Rwanda, a team of medical specialists led by Professor Jean Marc Régimbeau from France has successfully conducted three complicated cases of hepatoma-pancreatic-biliary surgery since 18 April 2023 at Rwanda Military Hospital in Kigali. The Rwandan patients who benefited from this special treatment laud the initiative.

Briefing the Media at Rwanda Military Hospital, Prof Jean Marc Régimbeau explained that the Hepatoma-pancreatic-biliary surgery is a specialised surgery of liver that requires specific skills and means.

Speaking on behalf of Rwanda Military Hospital, Col Dr Eugene Ngoga also pointed out that providing Hepatoma-pancreatic-biliary surgery services locally in Rwanda presents a lot of benefits in terms of accessing specialised medical services and saving money. He said that it was the first time to conduct hepatoma-pancreatic-biliary surgery in Rwanda. The patients who needed such health care were transferred abroad at a huge cost “such health care could cost up to one hundred million Rwandan francs outside Rwanda”. Local medics working with the visiting team are also learning from experience and expertise of their colleagues from France and Cameroon.

On 17 April 2023, Prof Jean Marc Régimbeau from Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d’Amiens (France) met the Rwandan Minister of State in the Ministry of Health Dr Yvan Butera to discuss the establishment of hepatoma-pancreatic-biliary surgery programme in Rwanda.