Cardiology specialist

Gabby Tjiroze
Dr. James Nkurunziza

A health professional at the Ongwediva Medipark shed more light on his dual career as a physician and cardiology specialist.

“A cardiologist is a physician who focuses on evaluating and treating cardiac diseases. We also emphasise the importance of different cardiac pathology,” says Dr. James Nkurunziza.

“We show patients the importance of following a healthy lifestyle, healthy diet and other dangerous habits that could lead to cardiac diseases. A lot of our patients are evaluated and treated in catheterization laboratories where we implant pace makers as well as treating adult patients with heart attacks and blocked vessels,” he said.

“With regards to being a physician, physicians are doctors who have completed further training in a medical specialty to diagnose and manage complex medical problems,” he explains.

He first completed his general medicine degree for six years from the University of Rwanda.

After completing training in Internal Medicine in at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, Nkurunziza realised that he had a passion for speciality in which he could make a tangible impact in a patient’s life. He did his cardiology training for three years from the same university in 2014.

“Since medicine is a vast discipline with multiple specialities, I felt compelled to focus on a speciality and chose to study internal medicine for four years as this is the required foundation to a cardiology training which lasts three years.”

Nkurunziza listed patience, compassion and empathy as the most important character traits a cardiology specialist and physician should possess.