Helping Rwandan Healthcare Workers Fight Heart Disease
From July 21 to August 1, 2025, Health Builders teamed up with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), the Rwanda College of Physicians, and support from Novartis to host a hands-on training program for doctors and nurses from Masaka, Nyamata, and Rwamagana District Hospitals.
The goal? To help healthcare workers better prevent, diagnose, and treat heart-related diseases, which are becoming a serious health issue in Rwanda.
Heart conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart failure are on the rise. But many healthcare workers don’t have the training or tools to deal with them effectively. That’s where this program came in.
Over the two weeks, participants took part in lectures, group discussions, and hands-on practice. They learned how to use tools like heart ultrasound (echocardiography) to spot problems early and treat patients more effectively. And the results were impressive—on average, participants improved their test scores from 56% to 86% by the end of the program.
“This initiative supports Health Builders’ mission to expand equitable access to quality care, enabling patients to receive timely and affordable treatment within their communities. We are grateful to the Novartis Foundation, Rwanda Biomedical Center, and district partners for their support and encouraged participants to apply their new skills to improve community health outcomes.”
A special focus was placed on training nurses. For one week, nurses received extra hands-on instruction in heart ultrasound techniques. This allowed them to perform scans and interpret results on their own—helping speed up diagnosis and treatment in their hospitals. The training also encouraged stronger teamwork between doctors and nurses, which means patients are more likely to get coordinated and timely care.
During the training, participants also talked about the bigger challenges they face such as:
not having enough medicine
low public awareness about heart health
poor systems for tracking patients over time
Together, they came up with solutions—like making sure medications are always in stock, launching community education campaigns, and creating mentorship programs to keep skills fresh.
“With this training, I feel confident I can spot heart problems early and help save more lives,” said one participant.
This program is an important step forward for Rwanda as it works to improve heart health and provide better care across the country.
“Before this training, many of us didn’t know how to properly diagnose or treat conditions like heart failure or diabetes,” said Dr. Elie Niyitegeka from Nyamata Hospital.
“Now, we’ve got the knowledge and skills to make a real difference. We’re thankful to Health Builders for helping us better serve our patients.”
