BUJUMBURA, March 28th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, inaugurated a cardio-thoracic surgery and cardiology center and scanner at the Kamenge Military Hospital (HMK) on Wednesday, 26 March 2025.
It was also an opportunity to lay the foundation stone for the military building. ABP was on hand to witness the ceremony.
In his speech, President Ndayishimiye thanked the Umugiraneza Foundation of the country’s First Lady, Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye, for its partnership with the German NGO Kinderherzen in initiating the mobile clinic that operates on children with heart malformations. It was that partnership that led to the setting up of the cardio-thoracic surgery and cardiology center and the scanner at the Kamenge Military Hospital (HMK).
The Head of State also thanked Dr. Nicodème Sinzobahamvya, a specialist in cardio-thoracic surgery, who acted as a bridge for that partnership with the German NGO. He also thanked Brigadier General Marc Nimburanira, Director General of HMK, for his leadership.
The Head of State also praised the efforts of those who are constantly contributing to the country’s development and to the achievement of the national vision of 2040 and 2060. He urged others to follow their example, and guaranteed that the electricity challenge, which is haunting various initiatives, will soon be resolved, as the country now has five times more electricity than it did in 2020.
As for the Director General of the Kamenge Military Hospital, he recalled the activities carried out by that hospital, such as the construction of the mother and child building, the expansion of the pharmacy, the expansion of the laboratory and others.
He also mentioned the challenges faced, namely the lack of specialist doctors in certain sectors, the debts owed by companies to the hospital, the lack of medicines on the local market, which is causing medicine prices to rise, and power cuts. Another challenge is that HMK also has debts, and those constraints are causing it to delay payments to its donors.
Dr Nimburanira also announced that, in order to support the country’s vision, HMK plans to obtain an MRI scanner and build an imaging and surgery building.
He took the opportunity to ask his partners to continue to support the hospital in that project.