The University of Rwanda is about to launch doctoral courses in nursing and midwifery
The University of Rwanda (UR) administration has announced that it is preparing to start teaching nursing and midwifery at the doctoral level with the aim of promoting education in these professions and reducing the number of students who go abroad to study
This was announced by the Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, Prof. Kayihura Muganga Didas, during the celebration of International Nurses Day.
The celebration of the day took place at the annual meeting of the Rwanda Nursing Research Council (NRC) held in Kigali on May 11-12, 2025.
The meeting was attended by nursing students in Rwanda and elsewhere in the region, teachers and researchers in universities, and various leaders.
Prof. Kayihura Muganga Didas said that the International Nurses Day marks significant progress in Rwanda both in terms of work and in the education they receive, as it has moved from secondary schools to universities.
He said, “Nursing and midwifery are respected professions just like doctors. […]. In the past, they studied until they finished high school and that was it, but today they continue and go to university and study for the first and second cycle and continue. We even have some who hold ‘professorships.’”
He said that there is still a gap in the labour market because there are still only a few of them, emphasizing that there are measures taken by the government, including the 4×4 program, which aims to quadruple the number of medical service providers in four years.
This program increased the number of nursing and midwifery students at UR from 1,300 to 2,000 within two years of the 4×4 program being implemented.
Prof. Kayihura added that currently, UR teaches nurses and midwives up to the master’s level, but that they are also going to introduce a ‘doctorate’ level in order to improve the education of these professions and that it is taught in Rwanda.
He said, “We are going through the designated channels so that ‘doctorate’ courses can start in Rwanda and we also have major universities in the world that were already helping us in ‘master’s’ courses that are ready to help us in teaching ‘doctorate’ in Rwanda. In a short time, we will have started ‘doctorate’ courses because they are in the final stages so that [nurses and midwives] can continue these courses in the country.
The Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, Prof. Kayihura Muganga Didas, announced that much has been achieved in promoting education for nursing and midwifery practitioners.
Israel Ambassador to Rwanda, Einar Weiss, is one of the participants in the NRC annual meeting
Prof. Mukeshimana Madelaine, Head of Research at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at UR, said that the quality of research has made good progress.
One of the Professor of University of Medical Science of Technology Rwanda Campus Mr MushtaqMahyoob presenting the Role of Emerging Technologies in Medical Education for Enhancing the Healthcare Service Delivery in this area field : like Virtual Reality in Heart Surgery , Augmented Reality (AR) in Medical Education ,AI in diagnosing diseases , AI Restores Speech: A Breakthrough in Brain- Computer Interfaces
Relevant to SDG 3 ( Good Health and Well-being )
Professor of University of Medical Science of Technology Mushtaq Mahyoob Emerging Technologies Revolutionizing the Healthcare System
Transforming Healthcare Education with AI
Artificially intelligent ( AI) is transforming medical education by enhancing learning efficiency, personalizing training, and improving clinical skills.
