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By Oswald Basanda
A ceremony to test for non-communicable diseases, including blood pressure and diabetes, was officially launched at the Kabarore Health Center in Gatsibo District on September 5, 2025, where health workers will be providing services to residents in their villages, door to door.
Uwinkindi François, the head of non-communicable diseases control at RBC, who represented the Minister of Health, launched the event at the national level by cutting the cord (riba) and said that the trained health workers will test using the equipment they were given, find out how the resident is doing, advise on how to behave, and if they are sick, accompany them to the Health Center or the District Hospital.
He said, “From the age of 35, they will start testing, a program launched today, for blood pressure and diabetes because they are not the ones that kill, but the ones that cause stroke, kidney damage, heart and eye swelling, and blindness.” The leader stated that the trained health advisors will help residents determine their health status and that this initiative will be extended to other regions of the country. They will also verify the competency of the advisors, as they have received proper training.
Dr. Florence Sibomana, Director of PATH International (NGOs), which currently works in 3 regions, namely Gatsibo, Gakenke, and Nyarugenge, said that they can continue in the other areas, depending on the capacity as it becomes available. She said that they have trained and supported health advisors so that they can achieve the goal of testing residents for non-communicable diseases, including blood pressure and diabetes.
She said, “We work in over 70 countries around the world in health programs, especially non-communicable diseases. We have our sponsor, AstraZeneca, which is why PATH was chosen to lead its implementation in reaching out to the people in Rwanda.”
Dr. Sibomana continued by saying that they do not do it alone but work with government agencies to work in line with the needs of the people, because they have a wide range of knowledge, so that there is a positive change in life.
She said, “AstraZeneca is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in the UK. They produce various medicines, but their main concern is to take care of the health of the people.”
It is in this way that a program called HHA (Healthy Heart Africa) was established, which is funded by AstraZeneca and implemented by PATH, so that health workers are trained and provided with equipment to be able to measure blood pressure as well as diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.
He said, “As we build capacity, we will expand, working with health institutions and local government agencies, working with the people in their communities.”
This program started in Kenya in 2014 at the African level and is currently operating in only 9 countries on the continent, while at the global level, in more than 70 countries, they have already helped more than 75,000 people diagnosed with anemia and have trained more than 11,890 health workers, as well as 1,600 other helpers who call and help these patients.
Sekanyange Jean Léonard, the Deputy Mayor of Gatsibo District in charge of Economy and Development, said that the Kabarore health center, in collaboration with health workers in each village, will help residents and visitors to know their health status in terms of blood pressure, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases.
Mukakigeri Clementine, a resident of Nyacyonga Village, and Mukamana, a resident of Kabeza Village in Kabarore Sector, were grateful for the access to healthcare, as they used to pay for tickets to Kiziguro Hospital, where they spent 2,000 francs, but now have access to medicines nearby.
They said, “We are going to be examined by health workers in our village to find out about the state of health, including non-communicable diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.”
Twagiramariya Eugenie, a health worker in Kabeza Village, Nyabikiri Cell in Kabarore Sector, said that each village they work in is a community of people.
She said, “We do it door to door. If we find that a resident has abnormal levels, we accompany him to the health center.”
Blood pressure is called “‘‘”systolic,” which ranges from 90 to 139, and “‘‘”diastolic,” which ranges from 60 to 89. If it exceeds 140, we advise it to be raised, and we also provide a transfer.
He said, If it exceeds 200, we accompany it, because we think it may have a stroke, and the patient may fall on the way.
Dr. Sibomana advises those who are not sick to be more careful and have good health, including doing physical exercises and eating a balanced diet that does not contain a lot of sugar or fat. When they have heavy things on their minds, they should find hours to rest and find someone to talk to who is trained.
Other things include drinking plenty of water, exercising, and quitting alcohol and smoking, especially since they arerisk factors for all non-communicable diseases.
Those who have already been infected do not deviate from these measures even though they continue to use medicines to improve their health.
Other guests who gave a presentation included Deepak Arora, the Head of AstraZeneca for Africa and a sponsor, who said that this program is planned to continue until 2063, when the goal will be achieved.
In Rwanda, it was launched at the Kabarore Health Center in Gatsibo District. There was also a guest from Tanzania, the Director of Health, who was also pleased with how this program is going to help the population live a healthier life.
The PATH organization, which will be working with Rwanda, is headquartered in Seattle, United States, has over 1,600 employees, was founded in 1977, and operates in over 70 countries, including Rwanda, which was officially launched today.
