KIGALI, May 12 (Xinhua) -- On the occasion of International Nurses Day on Tuesday, Rwandan nurses were urged to remain firm as frontline workers in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rwandan government recognizes that "nurses and midwives are the majority of health care providers and contribute a lot in achieving our health targets," Rwandan Health Minister Daniel Ngamije said Tuesday in a statement to commemorate the day.
"We particularly thank you for being on the frontline to fight against COVID-19 and urge you to maintain your efforts and resilience to defeat the pandemic just as we did for the previous outbreaks," Ngamije said.
Ngamije also recognized the role of Rwandan nurses and midwives in reducing maternal and child mortality rates, HIV transmission, malaria and other infectious diseases.
To mark the day, nurses at various health facilities in Rwanda's capital Kigali carried out sensitization and awareness campaigns for patients about the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is need for more training of nurses and midwives in the country to gradually increase nurse-to-patient and midwife-to-patient ratios as per international standards, Theobald Hategekimana, director of the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali, told Xinhua in an interview.
The current nurse-to-patient and midwife-to-patient ratios stand at one to 1,200 and one to 4,200 respectively. The health ministry said last year the Rwandan government aimed to increase the ratios to one to 800 and one to 2,500 respectively by 2024.
As of Tuesday evening, Rwanda registered 286 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 153 recoveries. Enditem
