Dr. Christophe Niyongabo

Dr. Christophe Niyongabo is a pulmonologist at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Gitega (CHUG) — Burundi's main referral hospital following Gitega's designation as the new national capital in 2019. With 10 years of respiratory medicine experience, he is one of Burundi's few formally trained pulmonologists, operating in a country where tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health challenge.

Burundi has one of the highest TB burdens in sub-Saharan Africa, with significant rates of pulmonary TB, extrapulmonary TB, and increasing concern about drug-resistant TB strains. Dr. Niyongabo's practice is centred on TB diagnosis and management using the WHO DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course) strategy, GeneXpert molecular testing for rapid TB diagnosis and rifampicin resistance detection, and management of TB treatment outcomes and complications.

Beyond TB, he manages community-acquired pneumonia, asthma, COPD — increasingly prevalent as tobacco use and indoor air pollution affect the Burundian population — and pleural diseases.

Dr. Niyongabo obtained his MD from the Université du Burundi (now University of Burundi) in Bujumbura. He completed postgraduate clinical training in pulmonology with support from WHO and international TB programme partners working in Burundi, and holds a Certificate in Pulmonology from a recognised training programme. He has participated in MSF and CHUK-supported advanced TB management training including management of MDR-TB and XDR-TB according to updated WHO guidelines.

Dr. Niyongabo's clinical practice is built around respiratory medicine in a resource-constrained African setting. He performs clinical assessment and management of pulmonary TB including drug-susceptibility testing interpretation, MDR-TB regimen initiation, and monitoring of treatment response with sputum conversion. He performs chest X-ray interpretation, sputum smear microscopy, and GeneXpert testing, and carries out pleural aspiration for effusions requiring drainage. He manages asthma with available inhaler therapy and COPD with bronchodilators. Bronchoscopy for selected diagnostic indications is available at CHUG.

Dr. Niyongabo's practice is primarily within the Burundian national health system. International aid workers, journalists, and NGO personnel based in Gitega or passing through who require respiratory assessment can access care at CHUG. Dr. Niyongabo consults in French and Kirundi. For complex respiratory conditions beyond Burundi's diagnostic or therapeutic capacity, he facilitates referral to regional centres in Rwanda, Uganda, or Kenya.

Dr. Niyongabo is a registered member of the Ordre des Médecins du Burundi and has been recognised within the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Gitega for his contributions to tuberculosis programme management in Gitega province. He participates actively in national TB control programme activities and WHO-supported respiratory disease surveillance in Burundi, contributing clinical data and expertise to the country's ongoing efforts to reduce its TB burden. He has engaged with MSF and international TB programme partners in training workshops on MDR-TB management and has been commended for his commitment to evidence-based respiratory care in a resource-constrained Central African hospital setting.