“Centre Sainte Marie de Rilima”raising the awareness on Cerebral Palsy in the staff of District Hospitals

On 10^thMay 2016, NUDOR proudly opened the first session of the seminar on Cerebral Palsy (CP) held by “Centre Orthopedic Pediatric Surgery and Rehabilitation Sainte Marie de Rilima”

Figure 1Dr. Emmanuel Nsengiyumva explaining the orthopedic complications associated with CP

Figure : Dr. Emmanuel Nsengiyumva explaining the orthopedic complications associated with CP

The seminar was organized in partnership with RBC (Rwanda Biomedical Center).

Conceived as the first step of a cycle of trainings, targeting Doctors and Physiotherapists coming from all the District Hospitals of Rwanda, it aimed to raise awareness on causes that lead to Cerebral Palsy in childhood as well as on the way to perform an early detection and treatment.

Figure 2A child affected by CP during the physiotherapy treatment

Figure : child affected by CP during the physiotherapy treatment

The “Center Sainte Marie de Rilima” is a hospital performing Orthopedic and Pediatric Surgery since 1999 and that was recognized as a Referral Health Institution by the Ministry of Health in 2012.

In 2014 the Center started a program to improve rehabilitation services for children with CP supported by the Italian NGO “Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi“ financed by the “Italian Ministry of Foreigner Affairs and International Cooperation”.

After two years testing a multidisciplinary approach of rehabilitation and treatment for neurological patients, the Center felt that was the time to share the experience with other health staff operating at District Level and that is why the seminar was organized.

The rehabilitation of children with CP and the training of health staff are just 2 of the activities performed within the program that also promotes awareness campaign for community in Bugesera district. In this frame the poster on CP produced with the help of RBC that will be spread in all the public health structures across the country and informing family members on early detection of such neurological diseas.