As cutting-edge tools like AI, VR, and 3D bioprinting reshape global healthcare, one visionary is making sure Rwanda’s future professionals are not just ready; they are leading the charge.
By Ethical Business News Desk
Kigali, Rwanda – A leading academic has urged institutions to embrace cutting-edge technologies to better prepare healthcare professionals for a fast-changing global landscape.
Dr. Mushtaq Mahyoob Saleh, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Head of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Medical Sciences and Technology (UMST) – Rwanda Campus, delivered a bold vision during his keynote address at the 3rd International Symposium commemorating Rwanda International Nursing Day.
Addressing more than 300 participants, including healthcare professionals, students, and global health experts, Dr. Mushtaq championed innovation as the cornerstone of modern medical education and practice.
“Emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and 3D bioprinting are revolutionising not just how we teach, but how we care,” Dr. Mushtaq stated.
“These innovations aren’t replacing healthcare workers; they’re equipping them with smarter tools to save more lives,” he added.
He stressed the urgent need to align healthcare education with Sustainable Development Goal 3: ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. Dr. Mushtaq painted a vivid picture of how advanced tools are already reshaping the field. From immersive simulations of heart surgery using Virtual Reality, to real-time 3D overlays in live procedures via Augmented Reality, technology is enhancing both safety and precision in medical practice.
Artificial Intelligence, he noted, is powering personalised learning platforms and predictive diagnostics, transforming how students learn and clinicians diagnose. He cited recent breakthroughs, including AI-assisted implants that have restored speech and mobility in paralysed patients, as examples of technology directly changing lives.
Equally groundbreaking, Dr. Mushtaq said, is the advancement of 3D bioprinting, which enables the creation of patient-specific tissues and organs.
“This isn’t science fiction; it’s already offering hope to patients awaiting transplants by drastically reducing the risk of organ rejection.”
The keynote also spotlighted robotic-assisted surgery and telemedicine, referencing a remarkable case earlier this year in which a surgical team in Shanghai removed a tumour from a patient located over 5,000 kilometres away. The operation, made possible through real-time connectivity and robotic precision, exemplifies how digital tools are eliminating geographic barriers to quality care.
Reaffirming UMST-Rwanda’s commitment to innovation, Dr. Mushtaq revealed that the university is actively embedding these technologies into its curriculum to shape a new generation of digitally fluent, clinically capable professionals.
“We are preparing a workforce that’s ready not only for today’s health challenges, but for tomorrow’s breakthroughs,” he said.
The two-day symposium, hosted by the Nurses and Midwives Students’ Association of Rwanda, featured scientific presentations, keynotes, and dynamic discussions focused on the future of healthcare in a tech-powered world.
As Rwanda continues to invest in health innovation, voices like Dr. Mushtaq’s are pushing the conversation forward, ensuring the country’s medical education systems evolve alongside the technologies that are redefining global health.
