In 2011, Rwanda's Ministry of Health set a goal of universal access to palliative care by 2020. Toward this audacious egalitarian and humanitarian goal, the Ministry of Health worked with partners to develop palliative care policies and a strategic plan, secure adequate supplies of opioid for the country, initiate palliative care training programs, and begin studying a model for integrating coordinated palliative care into the public health care system at all levels. It also initiated training of a new cadre of home-based care practitioners to provide palliative care in the home. Based on these developments, the goal appears within reach.

PURPOSE To describe the first year results of Rwanda's Screen, Notify, See, and Treat cervical cancer screening program, including challenges encountered and revisions made to improve service delivery. METHODS Through public radio broadcasts, meetings of local leaders, church networks, and local women's groups, public awareness of cervical cancer screening opportunities was increased and community health workers were enlisted to recruit and inform eligible women of the locations and dates on which services would be available. Screening was performed using human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing technology, followed by visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), and cryotherapy, biopsy, and surgical treatment for those who tested HPV-positive. These services were provided by five district hospitals and 15 health centers to HIV-negative women of age 35-45 and HIV-positive women of age 30-50. Service utilization data were collected from the program's initiation in September 2013 to October 2014. RESULTS Of 7,520 cervical samples tested, 874 (11.6%) screened HPV-positive, leading 780 (89%) patients to undergo VIA. Cervical lesions were found in 204 patients (26.2%) during VIA; of these, 151 were treated with cryoablation and 15 were referred for biopsies. Eight patients underwent complete hysterectomy to treat advanced cervical cancer. Challenges to service delivery included recruitment of eligible patients, patient loss to follow-up, maintaining HIV status confidentiality, and efficient use of consumable resources. CONCLUSION Providing cervical cancer screening services through public health facilities is a feasible and valuable component of comprehensive women's health care in resource-limited settings. Special caution is warranted in ensuring proper adherence to follow-up and maintaining patient confidentiality.

Background: Rwanda is a high cervical cancer-burden country, with an age standardized rate (ASR) of cervical cancer incidence of 41.8 cases per 100,000 people in 2012. In the same year, cervical cancer mortality lay at 26.2 deaths per 100,000 people. Aim: To address this burden, Rwanda initiated the vision inspection with acetic acid (VIA) screening-based strategy in 2013 in line with WHO recommendations for low- and middle-income countries. The target audience of the program was set for women between the ages of 30 and 49 and remains today. Here, we describe the implementation status of the program at the primary health care level; health centers and district hospitals in Rwanda. Methods: Integrating into Rwanda's existing health system, the program was purposefully rooted in health centers, with a pathway designed for women who screen positive to be referred to the district hospital for cryotherapy or LEEP, according to the lesions' size. Nurses, midwives and medical officers from health centers and district hospitals are trained through a 10-day curriculum (5 days for theory and 5 days for practice) before initiating the provision of services to clients in routine care. Monitoring of the program is conducted through both quarterly, on-site mentorship and screening indicators that are integrated into Rwanda's Health Management Information System (HMIS), through which facilities report on monthly basis. Results: Since its initiation in August 2013, Rwanda's cervical cancer screening program has been established in 21 of 38 (55%) district hospitals and 256 health centers in their catchment area. Training has been an integral component as well, with at least two nurses/midwives trained at implementing health centers and a medical officer with two nurses/midwives trained on cervical cancer screening and the treatment of precancerous lesions at district hospital. In addition, district hospitals have been equipped with cryotherapy, LEEP, and colposcopy machines. Over this program's implementation three-and-a-half-year course, 38,000 women have been screened for cervical cancer. Conclusion: Using a simple VIA-based strategy, Rwanda has been able to swiftly and effectively increase the number of health facilities implementing cervical cancer screening program. Though additional innovative implementation strategies are still needed to proportionally increase women's screening coverage, these initial steps hold great promise in Rwanda's ability to effectively implement a sustainable cervical cancer screening program.

Background: Rwanda is among the first African countries with a palliative care (PC) policy and implementation plan. A partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH) through the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) and the University of Edinburgh has supported an integrated approach including expanding the evidence base. Aim: To assessing the need for (PC) to inform policy, service delivery and training. Methods: A point prevalence PC needs assessment was conducted in nine public hospitals (referral, provincial and district). A records census identified those with life-limiting illness (LLI) who were then invited to participate by interview. The assessment tool included the APCA African POS, POS S, WHO performance status and demographic information. Results: 608 case notes were reviewed, 152 eligible and 124 completed assessment. 25% of all patients admitted had LLI, of which 99.2% had evidence of unmet need determined by at least one score on the APCA POS ≥ 3. Diagnoses 29% cancer, 29% cardiovascular disease, 16.9% end-stage organ failure and 13.7% HIV. Symptoms with greatest impact; nausea and vomiting (34.7%) and pain (32.3%). 63.7% with WHO performance status 4 or 5. 8.1% seen by existing PC services. Conclusion: Although the MoH and RBC are making bold steps toward developing PC in Rwanda, there remains a significant amount of unmet PC needs. Meeting this need requires recognition of the scope of PC needs beyond cancer, feedback to the hospitals and health care workers, thinking strategically how to further strengthen the health system and further capacity building and training.