Good healthcare systems are a stronghold of any growing economy; which is why technological advancements to the infrastructure are indicative of great strides in the general infrastructure sector. In Rwanda, to top up the government’s goal of building resilient and sustainable infrastructure systems, the Ministry of Health has through a Public Private Partnership with One Sight built eye-care facilities for all its districts, allowing for more accessibility of infrastructure services throughout the country.
In this partnership, the package includes infrastructure improvements to existing healthcare facilities and building new ones; One Sight donating and installing new equipment in these facilities; the organization offering capacity building services for the government to existing and new health facility staff; and the creation of a sustainable supply chain through a local manufacturing laboratory, recently launched by the University of Rwanda.
Aside from the notably intensive PPP investments in the country by One Sight, another highlightable feature that has come with these infrastructural developments is the introduction of Artificial Intelligence in Rwanda’s health services. Orbis International, in 2021, successfully conducted study-level screening at four clinics in and around Kigali. Although the retinopathy screenings were specific to diabetic patients, the result was enough to conclusively deduce that the efficiency AI introduces to infrastructure (healthcare or otherwise) highly improves accessibility of services to even the most vulnerable, as processes are made easier and almost devoid of human error.
Rwanda and the rest of the East African Community fully adapting such cutting-edge technology for application in the infrastructure sector would make for a much needed inclusive and sustainable future for infrastructure users and sector stakeholders.
