Pediatrics

Overview

The Pediatrics and Child Health Department at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHUK) is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children referred from across the country. The department provides comprehensive healthcare services, medical education, and research programs addressing critical issues in child health.

Vision: Commitment to improving the health of children through excellent service delivery, education, and relevant research.

Service Delivery – General Pediatrics

Inpatient Services

The General Pediatrics Unit manages an 86-bed pediatric ward with approximately 1,800 admissions per year. A weekly follow-up clinic is also conducted for patients requiring ongoing care, particularly for chronic conditions across various subspecialties.

The ward is run by one consultant, a trainee resident, at least two nurses, and undergraduate students during their clinical clerkship.

We admit children with a wide range of conditions, including neonatal illnesses, heart diseases, bleeding disorders, oncological conditions, nephrology cases, malnutrition, respiratory diseases, and other infectious conditions. Most admissions are acute referrals from district hospitals within the CHUK catchment area, as well as children from surrounding districts in Kigali City.

The department is actively involved in teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students, exposing them to common pediatric conditions through clinical practice.

Service Delivery – Pediatric Subspecialties

Neonatology

The Neonatal Service at CHUK can accommodate 30 babies daily for inpatient care, including 10 beds in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Services are provided for babies from 28 weeks of gestation, including CPAP, phototherapy, routine care of premature babies, and Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). Both medical and surgical neonates are admitted. When necessary, babies may be transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) located within the department.

Emergency Pediatrics

Pediatric Emergency Care at CHUK provides emergency, non-acute, and inpatient care, including referral cases requiring urgent management. The unit has a 14-bed short-stay admission ward. Patients are received from home as well as referrals from district, provincial, and referral hospitals.

This service also serves as a major training platform for both undergraduate and postgraduate pediatric education.

Pediatric Cardiology Service

The Pediatric Cardiology Unit provides care for children with heart failure and other cardiac conditions, with a capacity of 8 beds. In collaboration with international partners, cardiac surgery is provided for selected children with congenital or acquired heart diseases.

Partners include:

• Chain of Hope Belgium
• Chain of Hope UK
• Magdi Yacoub Foundation, Egypt
• Rotary Club Chandigarh, India and Rwanda
• Save A Child’s Heart, Israel
• Mecenat Chirurgie Cardiaque
• Chain of Hope Luxembourg
• Team Heart Inc., Boston, USA

Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Service

The Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Unit, with a 12-bed capacity, manages children with congenital and acquired bleeding disorders in collaboration with the World Federation of Hemophilia and the Association Franco-Africaine pour le Traitement de l’Hemophilie (AFATH).

Children diagnosed with cancers are staged and treated in collaboration with the Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence. With support from the Ministry of Health, some patients are referred abroad for specialized treatments not available locally.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

The PICU at CHUK is a specialized unit with 4-bed capacity, dedicated to the care of critically ill children, particularly those with respiratory failure. The unit also plays an important role in the training of residents in the Master’s program.

Routine Activities

• Inpatient care
• Outpatient care, including:
  • General pediatric consultation
  • Neonatal clinic
  • Cardiology clinic
  • Hematology clinic
  • Oncology clinic
  • Nephrology clinic
  • HIV clinic
• Teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Research activities
• Mentorship programs
• Outreach activities, including teaching ward rounds in district hospitals within the CHUK catchment area and follow-up clinics at community level for cardiology patients

Working Hours

Outpatient: Every day from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Inpatient and Emergency Services: Available 24 hours a day.