About
The evolving Heart Centre in Rwanda reflects the vision of Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub to expand high-quality cardiothoracic care to low-income and vulnerable communities across Africa.
This vision has led to the creation of leading cardiac centres across Africa, including the Aswan Heart Centre and the Cardiac Centre Ethiopia operating since 2009, collectively treating over 40,000 critical heart patients free of charge through the Philanthropy model.
Prof Sir Magdi Yacoub and Chain of Hope were also founding partners with La Chaine de L’Espoir in creating the Instituto do Coração, Mozambique’s first Heart surgical Centre.
Building on these past successes, the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Cairo and the new Rwanda- Egypt Heart Centre in Kigali will integrate clinical care, research, and training while significantly expanding treatment capacity to tackle the growing burden of cardiovascular disease.
As a founding member of the Rwanda Heart Care and Research Foundation, Julia Backhaus, Architect and Associate Professor at UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture, leads the design, conception and architectural delivery of the Rwanda Heart Centre. As the Chair of the Foundation’s Construction and Finance Committee, she brings UCL research in healthcare architecture and sustainable design into the development and delivery of the hospital.
“The opening of the Rwanda–Egypt Heart Centre marks an important step toward addressing the growing burden of cardiovascular disease in Africa. By combining advanced treatment with education and research, this centre will help ensure that life-saving cardiac care becomes accessible to all”
Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub OM
Click here to download a copy of the Rwanda-Egypt Heart Centre Brochure
‘People helping one another can bring an elephant into the house.’
Rwanda Proverb
The Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has signed an agreement to donate the equipment of the hospital with two cardiac theatres, a catheter lab, nine fully equipped Intensive Care beds, six progressive care beds and 15 ward beds.
Within the framework of Egypt’s pioneering role in promoting sustainable development in vital sectors across the African continent, and in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, particularly Goal 3: “Good Health and Well- being,” Egypt reaffirms its commitment to strengthening its relations with African countries through strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of healthcare services.
In line with this vision, and as a reflection of its pivotal role, the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development has actively contributed to the establishment of the The Heart Care and Research Foundation Rwanda/ Rwanda – Egypt Heart Centre in Kigali, as part of its efforts to bolster healthcare services within the continent.
The agency’s contribution involved the provision of modern medical equipment required by the center, executed in two phases through collaboration with “Siemens Healthineers Egypt” and “Healthcare Medical”, for the supply of advanced medical equipment.
This partnership underscores Egypt’s dedication to sharing technical expertise necessary to advance the healthcare system in Rwanda, thereby ensuring the delivery of high – quality medical services to patients, particularly in the field of cardiac care. This initiative exemplifies Egypt’s ongoing commitment to fostering healthcare cooperation with African nations and highlights its dedication to promoting medical and developmental integration in alignment with its vision of consolidating stability and prosperity in Africa, particularly in this case for the lives of heart patients in the region.
