Rwanda Military Hospital selected as centre for plastic surgery

Kigali, 10 January 2019

Rwanda Military Hospital (RMH) has been selected as a training centre in plastic surgery for the College of Surgeons for East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), and will be able to train Rwandans for becoming plastic surgery specialists instead of sending them abroad. 

This comes at a time when Rwanda has only 2 plastic surgeons and RMH becoming a training center will help building capacity of the future plastic surgeons.

Speaking during a press conference held at Rwanda Military Hospital on Tuesday, Col Dr Charles Furaha, a plastic surgeon specialist at RMH, said that there are only two plastic surgeons in the country. Therefore, they will help train other surgeon specialists to reduce high demand of the patients seeking plastic surgery services.

“We are expecting to train more surgeons specializing in plastic surgery. So far, three Rwandan students have registered and in the long-run the number will tremendously increase,” he said.

He adds that the training will cover majorly on the reconstructive a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction and alteration of the human body.

“The training will arouse attention of the Rwandans on the plastic surgery in the country including doctors and medical students,” he said.

He said that usually patients would take four years to get treated. However, bringing plastic surgeons closer to the Rwandans is more of the best effective way to improve medical treatments in the country.

Col Dr Furaha said that 400 patients seeking plastic surgery were received in the Rwanda Military Hospital each year. He further said that trainings on the plastic surgery will take USD 1.6 million, a grant by the Operation smile Foundation, a separate registered non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to raise funds for the promotion of the plastic surgery in the world.

The training that is scheduled to start operating by September 2019 will take a 5 year course for the three-year medical students from University of Rwanda.

Other courses on the general surgery as well as cosmetics will also be provided.