Thursday, March 4, 2010

A Proud Lioness Watching Her Pride

Two of Dr. Agnes' nine million charges.

Kigali, Rwanda (Thursday, March 3) -- It may have been their most important meeting during their stay in Rwanda.

Representatives from the SmartDrip, EasyDose, infantAIR, and Lab-in-a-Backpack teams sat nervously waiting for their meeting with the permanent secretary of Rwanda's health ministry, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, aka "Doctor Agnes."

Students reasoned that if Doctor Agnes supported their bio-tech products, they might have a better chance of those products getting in the hands of the Rawandan medical commuunity.

But as Dr. Agnes told the MBAs, impressing her doesn't guarantee anything.

As Dr. Agnes and many others explained to the Rice students, Rwanda prides itself on rigorous honesty and attention to the rules.

Before the teams' products can become a part of health care in Rwanda, they must pass rigorous inspection and testing. Doctors and hospitals must be convinced of the devices' value. Pricing must be fair in a country where most citizens earn less than a dollar a day.

Never misses a beat


Dr. Agnes is smart, inquisitive, honest, funny, and critical. She is the perfect person for the complicated job of administering health care for nine million Rwandans, a role she takes on like a lioness protecting her pride.

Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, permanent secretary of Rwanda's healthy ministry, meets with Rice MBAs and bio-engineers

Although her assistants interrupted her for her signature several times during the hour and a half meeting, Dr. Agnes never missed a beat.

She explained Rwanda's rigorous purchasing process to approve medicines and medical devices. She eyed the students' product demos with a critical eye, asking questions and making observations. And she volunteered names and phone numbers for contacts who could help Rice teams introduce their products in to Rwanda's medical pipeline.

You had the impression that she is the steady hand guiding Rwanda's health services into the 21st century.



Dr. Agnes about the Rice program:
Sharing knowledge and saving lives is "really Christian"

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