Rwanda's Labs Save Patients Thousands in Travel Costs

Marie-Chantal Byukusenge spent thousands of dollars on flights, hotels, and medical consultations in India, only to learn she needed a compatibility test that hadn't been done in Rwanda. When doctors in India finally performed it, the results showed her donor wasn't compatible, and she had to return home with nothing to show for the expense.

But when Byukusenge came back to Rwanda between 2019 and 2020, she discovered something that changed everything. The exact test she needed was now available locally at Cerba Lancet Rwanda.

She gave her sample, waited two weeks, and returned to India with results in hand. When Indian doctors repeated the test, the findings matched perfectly.

That moment of validation mattered deeply to Byukusenge. "Some people think results from Rwanda cannot be trusted," she says. "But in my case, they repeated the test in India and the findings were identical."

Her experience reflects a dramatic expansion happening across Rwanda's healthcare system. More than 20 laboratories now perform advanced molecular testing that was impossible to access locally just a decade ago.

Cerba Lancet Rwanda started operations in 2015 when most complex diagnostic tests required sending samples abroad or patients traveling overseas. The waiting times stretched for weeks, and costs could reach €5,000 for a single test.

Ten years later, the laboratory has conducted over 1.4 million tests for roughly 480,000 patients. Tests that once cost €5,000 abroad now run around Rwf30,000 (about $22) locally.

Laboratory Manager Valens Karenzi explains the transformation required serious investment. "We started in 2015, but it took five years to reach the standards we have today," he says. The lab achieved ISO 15189 accreditation in 2020, meeting internationally recognized quality benchmarks.

The Ripple Effect

The impact extends far beyond individual savings. Oncology patients who once traveled abroad solely for tumor diagnostics can now get complex cancer testing locally through advanced histopathology platforms.

Kidney transplant recipients like Viateur Karerangabo now conduct routine monitoring in Rwanda, even though his transplant happened in India. The continuity of care means faster treatment adjustments without international travel.

General Manager Protais Bizimana sees the broader picture clearly. "That represents hundreds of thousands of patients whose clinical decisions were guided by laboratory evidence," he says of the 1.4 million tests performed.

The shift matters because surgery and treatment only work when backed by accurate diagnostics. Advanced procedures require precision testing to determine eligibility, timing, and risk.

Rwanda's diagnostic revolution proves that building healthcare infrastructure creates ripples that touch thousands of lives, one accurate test result at a time.