Medical errors are a significant concern globally, significantly impacting patient safety. According to the World Health Organisation, around 1 in every 10 patients is harmed while receiving health care. These errors, including misdiagnoses, surgical errors, and unsafe injection practices, have led to deaths or lifelong injuries. In developing countries, unsafe care causes the death of up to 4 out of every 100 patients, with nearly 50% of these deaths being preventable (WHO, 2023). Their economic impact is substantial due to extended hospital stays, additional treatments, and lost productivity. Addressing medical errors is crucial not only to improve patient outcomes but also to reduce unnecessary healthcare costs worldwide. 

One of the possible ways to prevent medical errors is by training healthcare providers through Simulation-Based Education (SBE), which allows learners to practice and refine clinical skills and attitudes in a safe and controlled environment that mimics clinical scenarios.  

SBE use manikins, standardized patients and simulation technologies, to provide clinicians with immersive learning experiences in a dedicated simulation space (simulation centre) or within actual hospital settings (Elendu et al., 2024).

However, simulation centers are limited in Sub Saharan Africa. According to Society for Simulation in Healthcare, only 7 of them are in Africa. The University of Global Health Equity is among the few universities that has invested in a state-of-the-art Simulation Centre  in the East African Region. 

The UGHE’s Simulation and Skills Centre is at the heart of the institution’s mission to advance healthcare education in Rwanda and beyond. Since its launch in 2019, the center has rapidly become a cornerstone of healthcare education in rural Rwanda. Through cutting-edge technology, innovative training programs, and strategic partnerships, the center equips medical students and health professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to improve healthcare delivery.    

The UGHE Simulation and Skills Centre focuses its activities on three main pillars, each adapted to specific groups within the healthcare community:   

1. Simulation training  for undergraduate medical students 

SBE is fully integrated into both the Basic Medical Sciences and Clinical Curricula at UGHE, ensuring that students benefit from experiential learning throughout their education. From preclinical years, where foundational medical knowledge is applied in simulated environments, to the later clinical years, where students tackle complex medical emergencies, the Centre provides an invaluable platform for developing essential clinical skills.  

Students gain invaluable skills in the Simulation and Skills Centre. On the picture: Dr. Masimbi and Dr. Solomon teaching medical students in a skill session. Photo by Asher Habinshuti/PIH

Students engage with basic and advanced simulation technology to practice critical procedures such as delivering babies, managing trauma cases, and providing basic life support. This experience not only builds their clinical competence but also instills confidence as they prepare to enter medical practice.    

2. Simulation Instructor Training  for health professional educators 

The center also plays a pivotal role in capacity building among health professionals’ educators. In partnership with Immersive Design Systems, a renowned center at Boston Children’s Hospital, UGHE’s SIM Centre provides advanced annual training in simulation scenario design, delivery, and debriefing to its faculty, and educators from partner institutions.  

Over the past five years, the Centre has trained more than 100 instructors from various institutions, including the University of Rwanda, Butaro Level Two Teaching Hospital (BL2TH), King Faisal Hospital, Rwanda Military Referral and Teaching Hospital, East African Christian College  and the State University of Zanzibar. By strengthening local capacity for SBE (Simulation-Based Education), UGHE is contributing to the long-term sustainability of high-quality healthcare training in the East African Region.   

3. Capacity Building for Healthcare Providers  

Beyond medical students’s training, the Centre plays a crucial role in enhancing the skills of practicing health professionals. Through a range of capacity-building workshops, doctors, nurses, and anesthetists from public hospitals across Rwanda participate in specialized training that addresses critical healthcare needs. Courses such as Basic Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support, and mechanical ventilation training have improved the skills of hundreds of health professionals working in demanding medical settings.   

State-of-the-Art Simulation facilities and equipment 

The UGHE Simulation and Skills Centre is equipped with state-of-the-art medical simulation tools, including high-fidelity manikins, a cardiology patient simulator, Anatomage© tables, ventilators, an anesthesia machine and several task trainers for Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), urinary catheterization, intubation, and more.   

In addition, the simulation rooms at the center are designed to replicate real clinical settings such as emergency departments, intensive care units and operating rooms. This enables the Centre to simulate a wide range of medical scenarios in a safe and controlled environment, for better practice. 

A hub for collaboration

The Simulation Center is not just focused on internal simulation activities; it is actively engaged in collaboration with other medical institutions across Rwanda. Together with skills labs and hospitals in Rwanda, the centre is working to establish the “Rwanda Healthcare Simulation Network”, a national initiative aimed at promoting collaboration among simulation facilities. This network will enable health professionals’ educators and providers across the country to work together, share best practices, and collectively advance the quality of healthcare training in Rwanda.   

Furthermore, the UGHE’s SIM Centre is expanding its reach beyond Rwanda. In 2023, the Centre began supporting the simulation program at the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA), marking a significant step in spreading high-quality healthcare education across East Africa.    

 Achievements and impact: 

Since its launch, the Simulation Centre has trained more than 250 trainees (MBSS students & healthcare professionals) and delivered over 90 unique training sessions. These numbers reflect the it’s growing influence on healthcare education in Rwanda and beyond. 

In recognition of its contributions, the UGHE’s Simulation and Skills Centre was awarded the 2023 ASPIRE Certificate of Merit in Simulation by the Association for Medical Education in Europe, which solidified its reputation as the leading center in SBE (Simulation-Based Education) in the region.    

The UGHE Simulation and Skills Centre remains committed to advancing healthcare education and improving patient outcomes in Rwanda and Africa. Through its focus on health professionals training and instructor development, the Centre is shaping the future of healthcare in the region.