On June 11th, the Rwandan capital Kigali witnessed the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding of the establishment of “Magdi Yacoub Rwanda – Egypt Cardiac Surgery Centre” in Kigali. The memorandum was signed by the Egyptian Ambassador in Kigali on behalf of the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development, while on the Rwandan side it was signed by Dr Daniel Ngamije, Rwandan Minster of Health, and Gizele Gatariki, President of the Rwanda Heart Care and Research Foundation. The centre is the first of its kind in Eastern Africa and aims to provide medical services for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases for those who need it most, especially children, in addition to training medical and nursing cadres. The centre will also develop research in the field of biomedical sciences.

The Rwandan Minster of Health delivered a speech on the sidelines of the signing ceremony, which included the Center’s importance in supporting the health sector in Rwanda, and stressed his country’s determination to provide the highest level of curative and preventive medical services to the Rwandan People. The Egyptian Ambassador affirmed in his speech, that Egypt is keen on developing the healthcare sector in Rwanda, and to provide all kinds of support based on its permanent commitment to brotherly African countries, pointing to the fact that this event will lead to more co-operation in the field of health in general, and medicine and medical supplies in particular.