Global disparities in the quantity, distribution, and skills of health workers worldwide pose a threat to attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and deepens already existing global health inequities. Rwanda and other low-resource countries face a critical shortage of health professionals, particularly nurses and midwives. This article describes the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Program in Rwanda, a collaboration between the Ministry of Health of Rwanda and a U.S. consortium of academic institutions. The ultimate goal of the HRH Program is to strengthen health service delivery and to achieve health equity for the poor. The aim of this article is to highlight the HRH nursing and midwifery contributions to capacity building in academic and clinical educational programs throughout Rwanda. International academic partnerships need to align with the priorities of the host country, integrate the strengths of available resources, and encourage a collaborative environment of cultural humility and self-awareness for all participants.

Corresponding author : P Brysiewicz (brysiewiczp@ukzn.ac.za) Critical care nursing practice and education in Rwanda is a young specialty. There are very few critical care nurses practising in either hospital or academic settings, and typically nurses taking care of critically ill patients receive only a brief period of informal education prior to practising. Intensive care units are found predominantly in the state tertiary hospitals, located primarily in Kigali city. The purpose of this article is to describe the current state of critical care nursing in Rwanda, including challenges and opportunities faced by these nurses, as well as recent initiatives under way in an attempt to address these difficulties. This article is based on a review of the published and grey literature relevant to the healthcare system and the disease profile of Rwanda, as well as the evolution of critical care nursing in Rwanda. In addition, the experience of the first author in critical nursing in Rwanda helped to guide the development of the article.

Background. The admission of a relative to an intensive care unit (ICU) is a stressful experience for family members. There has been limited research addressing this issue in Kigali, Rwanda. Objective. To explore the needs of patient family members admitted into an ICU in Kigali, Rwanda. Methods. This study used a quantitative exploratory design focused on exploring the needs of patient family members in ICU at one hospital in Kigali, Rwanda. Family members (N=40) were recruited using the convenience sampling strategy. The Critical Care Family Needs Inventory was used to collect relevant data. Results. The participants identified various needs to be met for the family during the patient’s admission in ICU. The most important was the need for assurance, followed by the need for comfort, information, proximity and lastly support. Three additional needs specific to this sample group were also identified, related to resource constraints present in the hospital where the study was carried out. Conclusion. These results offer insight for nurses and other healthcare professionals as to what the important needs are that must be considered for the patient family members in ICUs within a resource-constrained environment. S Afr J Crit Care 2014;30(1):5-8. DOI:10.7196/SAJCC.162 The admission of a loved one into an intensive care unit (ICU) and the technology used therein, coupled with high morbidity and mortality rates in an ICU setting