RwandaHealthMagᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ

As part of our ongoing awareness campaign on Sickle Cell Disease, from @RwandaNCDA, a parent whose child is living with the condition shares their personal experience, taking us through the journey of caring for their child and the challenges they face in managing this disease.

YOUR HEART HAS LAYERS: UNDERSTANDING THE THREE LAYERS THAT KEEP YOU ALIVE

Your heart beats approximately 100,000 times a day, pumping blood through a network of blood vessels that extends throughout your body.

Your heart is more than a muscular organ that pumps blood. Its walls are made up of three specialised layers, each performing an essential function to keep blood circulating throughout your body.

Understanding these layers helps us appreciate how this remarkable organ works.

1. EPICARDIUM – THE OUTER LAYER
The epicardium is the thin outermost layer of the heart wall. It protects the heart and provides a smooth surface that reduces friction as the heart beats.

It also contains blood vessels, nerves and fatty tissue that support the heart.

2. MYOCARDIUM – THE MIDDLE MUSCULAR LAYER
This is the thickest and most powerful layer of the heart wall.
The myocardium consists of specialised cardiac muscle cells that contract and relax rhythmically, allowing the heart to pump blood.

It is particularly thick in the left ventricle because this chamber must generate enough pressure to pump blood throughout the entire body.

Without the myocardium, your heart would not be able to perform its pumping function.

3. ENDOCARDIUM – THE INNER LAYER
The endocardium is the smooth, thin inner lining of the heart chambers and valves.

Its smooth surface allows blood to flow through the heart with minimal resistance. It also helps maintain the proper functioning of the heart valves, which prevent blood from flowing backwards.

BUT THERE IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT STRUCTURE: THE PERICARDIUM.
The pericardium is a protective sac surrounding the heart. It is not one of the three layers of the heart wall.

It helps hold the heart in position, protects it and reduces friction during heart movements through the lubricating fluid between its membranes.

HOW DO THEY WORK TOGETHER?
Think of your heart as a highly specialised pumping machine:

• The epicardium provides an outer protective surface.

• The myocardium generates the force needed to pump blood.

• The endocardium provides a smooth internal lining for blood flow.

• The pericardium surrounds and protects the entire organ.

Together, these structures allow your heart to beat continuously, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues while helping remove carbon dioxide and other waste products.

DID YOU KNOW?
Your heart beats approximately 100,000 times a day, pumping blood through a network of blood vessels that extends throughout your body.

Your heart is not simply a pump. It is a remarkable biological system whose different structures work together to sustain life.
Understanding your body is the first step towards taking better care of it.

#HealthEducation #HeartHealth #HumanAnatomy

Progress is being made in tackling tuberculosis (TB). But it's far too slow.

The TB incidence rate has fallen by just 14% since 2015, far short of the 50% reduction milestone for 2025. TB deaths have fallen by 35% over the same period, reaching the first mortality milestone in the End TB Strategy, five years late.

Ending TB is possible – with political will, domestic investment, and research to drive progress.

42 surgical residents complete specialist skills training at CHUK.

A total of 42 Postgraduate Year One (PGY-1) surgical residents at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) have successfully completed a four-day Basic Surgical Skills training programme.

The training, concluded on Thursday, was facilitated by experts from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Scotland, in collaboration with local partners.

The initiative aims to strengthen practical surgical competencies and equip Rwanda's next generation of surgeons with essential skills for safer, quality surgical care. @HospitalChuk @RwandaHealth @RBCRwanda

Tuberculosis (TB) is preventable and curable.

Yet, it remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers. An estimated 10.6 million people developed TB in 2025, and 1.1 million lost their lives to it.

Read the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026 to learn more: bit.ly/48P8Auh