Sr. Martine Makanga MMM
Medical Missionaries of Mary
Rwanda
Sr.
Martine Makanga MMM, Medical Missionaries of
Mary, is a paediatric surgeon who works as a
Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the Medical
Faculty of the National University of Rwanda.
She also works as a Paediatric and General
Surgeon at the nearby Teaching University
Hospital of Butare.
During 2007, I continue to perform my duties as
a Senior Lecturer at the Medical Faculty and as
Paediatric and General Surgeon at the University
Hospital of Butare. As well as feeding into the
academic development of students, due to the
shortage of surgeons I had to do both paediatric
surgery and general and orthopaedic surgery for
adult patients.
In paediatric surgery, I encountered an unusual
number of malformations in neonates and many
neglected osteomyelitis and fractures in
children. I was challenged by the cancer
patients (children and adults): there is no
available oncology department (no chemotherapy
and no radiotherapy). We tried our best to help
them and I tried also to conscientise my
colleagues, students and staff to their special
needs and those of their families as taught in
Palliative Care.
My main objectives were to improve childcare in
the surgical department and to assist in the
training of future Rwandan doctors and surgeons.
This had many components. In 2007, it meant
teaching two classes (180 students), supervising
30 interns and 5 residents in surgery, bedside
teaching and teaching in the operating theatre,
and directing 17 final medical students for
their thesis.
This work takes years. Following the Genocide,
there were few doctors remaining and it was a
joy and a privilege for me to see several of my
former students now working as doctors in
District Hospitals to help the rural population.
During my time in Rwanda, what helped me most
was to see patients recovering from their
illnesses and returning home. I was also
encouraged by the trust and the goodwill of my
colleagues in our efforts to participate in the
formation of the future doctors and surgeons. In
Rwanda there are about 401 doctors for a
population of 9.9 million.