Rwanda’s Agriculture and Animal Resource Development Council (FAOA) has stated that it will create a conducive environment in which all veterinary services will be entrusted to private operators.
Fabrice Ndayisenga, director of animal resource research and technology transfer, told The New Times that there are tremendous opportunities for veterinarians considering that livestock continues to grow and that sufficient and high quality production is needed.
“There are people responsible for animal resources at the sector level and farmers typically rely on them for veterinary services. This will now focus on one cow per family that cannot afford the cost of veterinary services. The rest has to be done by private vets, “he said.
Last week 60 veterinarians who graduated from the University of Rwanda / CAVM in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine / Department of Veterinary Medicine took their oaths to become members of the Rwanda Council of Veterinary Doctors (RCVD).
He said private veterinarians would soon be working under the Mandat sanitaire program.
This is an administrative act that creates a strong bond between the veterinarian and the state.
With this mandate, the veterinarian serves the state and the public welfare in the performance of tasks of general interest, such as the detection of regulated animal diseases and the control and eradication of these diseases.
These missions require technical competence, but also the integrity and independence of their managers.
Ndayisenga said veterinarians need to invest their skills in harnessing the livestock sector for job creation while helping to increase the production of animal resources.
Rwanda introduced veterinary medicine at the University of Rwanda six years ago, and the sector is still in its infancy.
“Most Rwandans have practiced veterinary medicine abroad. If we want to develop the livestock sector, we need a lot of professional veterinarians who can reach out to farmers and help increase the production and quality that we need, ”he said.
Statistics show that goats increased from 1,891,612 in 1992 to 2,844,001 in 2020 while the pig population increased fivefold; from 244,980 pigs in 1992 to 1,441,077 pigs in 2020.
The chicken population in Rwanda increased 9 percent annually, from 3.5 million in 2010 to over 7.6 million.
The number of cows rose steadily from 813,417 in 1992 to 1,449,888 in 2020.
Currently the Veterinary Council has registered 4,000 veterinarians.
“The number of veterinarians is still small, but we need to increase both the quality and the quantity of professionals,” he said.
He noted that the government will also provide them with the kits they need to streamline their field work and improve service delivery.
“They should work at the cell and village level and sign contracts with farmers,” he said.
Appeal for internships at the university
Jean de Dieu Bazimya, a just graduated veterinarian, said there are limited practices at the University of Rwanda that affect them once they hit the job market.
“There is a need for a University of Rwanda survey and practical skills assessment. For example, in artificial insemination kits, there are very few kits and some students do not have access to them.
We want more hands-on skills like general medicine students who spend most of their time in hospitals doing practices, “he said.
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Eugene Twizeyimana added that the government should also provide the necessary kits and diagnostic equipment in the community near farmers to help veterinarians improve service delivery.
Responding to the complaints, Ndayisenga stated that veterinary medicine was introduced a few years ago, adding that RAB will work with the University of Rwanda, the Ministry of Education and the Veterinary Council to see how the level of practices can be increased to Making graduates for the job market.
He added that the government is under a $ 15 million