Butare Teaching Hospital Adds New Machines, Cuts Referrals to Kigali

The announcement was made Feb. 8, 2026, as the hospital marked the International Day of the Sick, an annual event focused on improving patient care and access to health services.

Acting Director General Dr. Christian Ngarambe said the hospital has installed a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine used to diagnose internal medical conditions, along with new equipment for cancer diagnosis and treatment. He said the additions represent a major milestone for the hospital and the Southern Province.

“These services were among the main reasons patients were referred to distant hospitals,” Ngarambe said. “With the new machines, patients can now access CT scans, cancer care and other specialized services closer to home.”

Hospital officials said more than 75% of patients previously referred outside CHUB were sent for MRI examinations, mainly to hospitals in Kigali. Others traveled to Butaro Hospital in Burera District for cancer-related services. The hospital expects those referrals to decline sharply.

Patients welcomed the new equipment. Alphonse Nzabihimana, a resident of Nyamagabe District, said he had suffered from a gastrointestinal illness since 2022 without improvement. After undergoing tests using the new machines at CHUB, doctors identified the illness and treated it without surgery.

“In the past, people like us had to go to Kigali or even abroad for treatment,” Nzabihimana said. “Now the services are available here.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by Eugénie Niyitegeka, a patient from Ruhango District who was referred to CHUB from Kinazi Hospital for treatment of an abdominal tumor. She said the new technology has reduced costs and eased the burden on families.

CHUB serves more than four million people from the Southern Province and large parts of the Western Province, treating about 40,000 patients each month.