KIGALI - Chinese firm China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) on Feb 9 formally kicked off the construction of a district hospital in Rwanda's capital city Kigali.

Speaking at the event shortly after laying the foundation stone, Rwandan health minister Diane Gashumba said the hospital will provide faster access to healthcare, closer to home, for people in Nyarugenge district.

"For any country to achieve inclusive economic and social growth, the health of its people is crucial," she said. "This hospital will provide quality healthcare to all Rwandan citizens."

The Nyarugenge district hospital project, jointly financed by the governments of Rwanda and Belgium, is expected to build a 120-bed multi-specialty hospital with a cost of around 7 million U.S. dollars. The hospital will be constructed on a surface area of two hectares.

Upon completion, it will have emergency services, administration rooms, a laboratory and an outpatient department, maternity ward, hospitalization ward and two operating theaters. It will also have a utility block comprising a mortuary, a laundry and a workshop.

According to the Nyarugenge district government, the second phase of the hospital is also planned, which will extend the capacity of the hospital to 300 beds.