Responsibilities
The Nursing Direction is one of the clinical units of HIRC, composed of a team of mental health nurses. It provides comprehensive addiction and mental health nursing care from admission, ensuring that patients are safe, supported, and comfortable throughout their treatment journey.
The unit performs patient assessments at admission using standardized tools and medical screening, including the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), a structured questionnaire used to evaluate alcohol consumption patterns and related problems. This assessment is conducted in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team to guide diagnosis and treatment planning.
The Nursing Direction actively participates in developing individualized care plans, implementing them, and continuously monitoring patient progress. It is also responsible for administering medications, observing their effects, and managing withdrawal symptoms and side effects as part of detoxification and ongoing treatment.
In addition, the unit ensures proper documentation by updating and maintaining accurate patient medical records, which are essential for continuity and quality of care. It also plays a key role in educating patients and their families about substance use disorders and available treatment options.
The Nursing Direction supports patients through therapeutic activities, including ergotherapy, occupational therapy, and recreational programs, which help individuals develop life skills, coping strategies, and healthy routines necessary for long-term recovery.
It also contributes to community reintegration by preparing and orienting patients for a return to daily life, supporting them in rebuilding social, family, and occupational functioning after treatment.
Recognizing that addiction affects the entire family system, the unit provides family education and involvement programs to enhance understanding of the disease of addiction and strengthen support systems, which are critical for sustained recovery.
Across all its activities, the Nursing Direction works in close collaboration with other clinical services through a multidisciplinary approach to ensure comprehensive, safe, and effective treatment for individuals with substance use disorders.
These delegated responsibilities include staff transfers and promotions, management of disciplinary procedures (excluding second-category sanctions), approval of leave and resignations (excluding medical doctors), issuance of employment-related certificates, approval of retirement processes, nomination of department heads, upgrading of medical doctors as per professional councils, and signing contracts for eligible clinical staff.
TWAHIRWA Epimaque
Director of Nursing
TWAHIRWA Epimaque is the Director of Nursing at Huye Isange Rehabilitation Center. He holds an Advanced Diploma in Mental Health Nursing from the University of Rwanda, College of Medicine and Health Sciences (2014), and a Bachelor’s Degree in General Nursing from Mount Kenya University, Kigali Campus (2018).
He has over 10 years of experience in both inpatient and outpatient mental health settings. His clinical background includes four years of service at Ndera Neuropsychiatric Teaching Hospital, as well as experience with the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), where he was involved in mentorship and supervision of mental health activities in district hospitals.
In his current role, he provides leadership and clinical support in the care of patients with alcohol and drug use disorders, contributing to the delivery of comprehensive mental health and addiction treatment services at the center.