Chinese medical team, Rwandan health workers celebrate International Nurses Day

KIGALI — The 23rd Chinese medical team in Rwanda, along with Rwandan doctors and nurses, celebrated International Nurses Day on Wednesday at Masaka Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital.

Medical personnel from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China’s Baotou Central Hospital also participated in the celebration through video conference.

Zhao Shangjun, the leader of the Chinese medical team, spoke at the ceremony and expressed his gratitude for the hard work and commitment of nurses all around the globe, particularly the Rwandan nurses at Masaka Hospital.

“International Nurses Day is an opportunity for us to celebrate the contributions of nurses to global health. I thank the Rwandan nurses for their strong collaboration with the Chinese medical team to deliver professional and quality medical care to patients at Masaka Hospital,” he said.

Zhao emphasized the need of medical experts from China and Rwanda working together to deliver the best possible treatment for patients.

Fulgence Niyomugaba, Masaka Hospital’s Quality Improvement officer, who represented the hospital’s clinical director, thanked the nurses for their persistent efforts in delivering quality healthcare services to patients.

“We appreciate and recognize the invaluable contributions of our nurses towards healthcare. We sincerely thank the Chinese medical team for supporting our nurses to provide quality medical care here at Masaka Hospital,” Niyomugaba said.

He stated that International Nurses Day serves as a reminder of the essential role that nurses and midwives play in healthcare.

He stated that the Chinese medical team has assisted the local physicians and nurses at Masaka Hospital in handling and managing complex medical issues such as surgery, among other things.

Liang Lu, deputy president of Baotou Central Hospital, spoke via video conference about the necessity of exchanging knowledge and best practices among medical experts from diverse regions.

He complimented the combined celebration of Chinese and Rwandan medical experts as a symbol of the two nations’ strengthening partnership.

During the celebration, presentations on intravenous catheters and cardiopulmonary resuscitation were given. The talks intended to share information and improve the abilities of the attending medical experts.

Nursing students from Rwanda’s East African Christian University also attended the event, where they were able to learn from seasoned medical experts.

The nursing students performed CPR on a human dummy to check breathing and pulse rates.

The event, themed “Our Nurses. Our Future,” served as a reminder of the essential role that nurses play in healthcare, as well as the need of collaboration and knowledge-sharing among medical experts from other nations.