Ndengera CBC Polyclinic is a healthcare facility in Gisenyi, Rubavu District. It was established as part of the outreach health clinics to provide frontline healthcare to patients in the area. Built in 2010 by Ndengera Foundation, a Church of Nazarene affiliated Non-Governmental Organisation, the polyclinic is renowned for its top-of-the-line facilities, skilled practitioners, dedicated and qualified staff.
Rev. Simon Pierre Rwaramba, the Chief Executive Officer says that the polyclinic was built to serve the residents of the area that was remote at the time.
“Ndengera Foundation is based on three core values; community development, education and health. The polyclinic aligns with our health core values to serve and create an impact in this area,” he explains.
Thirteen years later, the polyclinic has earned the reputation for providing of comprehensive healthcare services and become the first private facility to offer gynecology and obstetric services, as well as the cervical cancer screening and treatment in Rubavu district.
Rev. Rwaramba says that the polyclinic is widely appreciated for its commitment to providing the best patient care.
The major part of its patient population is from Rubavu and neighbouring districts like Karongi, Musanze, Nyabihu and Rutsiro among other. Others come as far as Kigali and the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
With a dedicated team of experienced specialists aided by modern diagnostic equipment, this polyclinic has ensured prompt diagnosis and dependable maternity services.
More than 100 babies are born from this clinic every month and the facility has cultivated a reputation as the largest facility going by bed count and scale of maternity care operations in Rubavu District.
The role in development played by Ndengera is not only to provide healthcare but also community development and education. The polyclinic alone employs more than 87 people including doctors in various specialties, general practitioners, obstetricians, nurses, and technicians among others.
The health facility has ambulances and other specialized vehicles that offer fast, and free evacuation pickups and drops for pregnant women at the offset of labour.
“Most women in rural communities give birth at home either because they lack transport or they have to travel a long distance to reach a health facility. So, we offer them free means of transport to come and give birth at the polyclinic,” notes Rev. Rwaramba.
“For us, partnership is the key to success. We work with partners like the district authorities, other government hospitals and international partners,” he emphasized.
Ndengera CBC Polyclinic import medical facilities and equipment worth Rwf300 million every year. Some they grant to public health facilities through the district.
During Covid-19 pandemic, the polyclinic donated beds to the medical facilities in the Western Province and provided medical supplies worth Rwf 80 million to Gisenyi District Hospital to help the COVID-19 patients.
To improve the services, the management reaches out to patients by means of tele-health to seek feedback on the quality of health services offered by the polyclinic.
The system avoids situations of long patients’ queues and long waiting, creates a more flexible, efficient and optimal working schedule that is transparent, and hence improving patient satisfaction.
In a bid to expand into a fully-fledged hospital hopefully this year, the polyclinic is building a 87-inpatient-bed hospital on vacant land which is expected to open soon.
However, one of the biggest challenges is limited medical personnel in the country and a few who are available prefer to stay and work in cities like Kigali.
