The Government of Rwanda has formally received the renovated and expanded Masaka Hospital from China following the completion of the major healthcare infrastructure project in Kicukiro District.
The hospital was handed over to the Government of Rwanda during a ceremony at its new campus on Friday, August 28.
Its total floor area has increased from 6,398 to 56,957 square metres, while its capacity has grown from 127 to 837 beds.
The expanded complex comprises 13 buildings and 22 operating theatres. It is designed to accommodate as many as 2,000 outpatient visits each day.
The facility includes modern diagnostic and treatment equipment, outpatient and emergency departments, paediatric and infectious-disease units, radiology services, laboratories, a blood bank and an oxygen-generation system.
It also has a helicopter landing pad for transporting critically ill patients, backup electricity generators, fire-control systems and accessible pathways and lifts for people with disabilities.
The facility is expected to become one of Rwanda’s largest comprehensive hospitals and serve as a university teaching hospital. The Government previously announced that services from the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali would be transferred to Masaka in phases.
Its specialised services could also serve patients from neighbouring countries as Rwanda works to strengthen advanced healthcare and position itself as a regional medical hub.
Construction began following a groundbreaking ceremony in March 2023. Shanghai Construction Group implemented the project with financial support from the Chinese Government.
The Rwanda Housing Authority previously placed the project’s cost at approximately Rwf85 billion, equivalent to about 580 million Chinese yuan.
The project has been described as the largest grant-funded initiative undertaken by China in Rwanda to date.
China also financed the original construction of Masaka Hospital, which opened in 2011. Its health partnership with Rwanda has included medical equipment, professional training and the deployment of Chinese medical teams to Rwandan hospitals since 1982.
The handover transfers the completed infrastructure to the Government of Rwanda. The subsequent movement of hospital services, medical personnel and patients will be undertaken separately as the new complex becomes fully operational.
RADIOTV10