Build Health International and RIX Industries have teamed up to bring hands-on training opportunities to biomedical technicians from across Africa at the Training Center, which forms part of Rwanda Polytechnic at Kigali College.
As access to medical oxygen remains out of reach for many patients throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the training seeks to close vital technical gaps among technicians who oversee the operation, maintenance, and sustainability of oxygen compressors, which save patient lives.
Andrew L. Johnston, Director of Medical Oxygen and Training, Build Health International, states: “A primary barrier to effective maintenance in many contexts is the lack of the required knowledge and skills. This partnership with RIX closes that gap by bringing factory-level instruction to Kigali in a way that is practical, affordable, and sustainable.”
RIX Industries spent time training biomedical personnel in Kigali, Rwanda on its 2PS and 2V3B compressors.
The program, which launched earlier this year, will involve BHI delivering RIX factory-equivalent training on high-pressure oxygen compressors, all while working with RIX to provide the hands-on technical instruction biomedical technicians need to keep equipment running.
Trainees can learn about booster compressor safety, routine maintenance, component identification, and troubleshooting.
This collaboration showcases the power of in-kind gaps with in-kind knowledge, skill-building, and other solutions that promote healthcare system strengthening.