How one hospital in Nyali supports the UHC

In the upmarket Nyali area of Mombasa, stands the eight-storey building housing Premier Hospital, which supports the Universal Health Care.

Dr Fardousa Ahmed, the chief officer of the hospital, said their facility is focused on delivering affordable healthcare services to the masses.

“With your normal NHIF card, you can access the following Ultrasound, CT Scan, Dialysis, all surgeries and part of the daily bed rate at Premier,” said Dr Fardousa.

For civil servants, members of the Kenya Police Service can access all services at the hospital.

“However, all these procedures must be pre-authorised by NHIF and the Premier Hospital management will do this on your behalf,” she said.

Dr Fardousa says they decided to start a hospital on November 24, 2017, as a pilot project to see if it was viable.

“I was the project manager when we started, but few months into the project, we decided to make it fully operational tier-one hospital,” she said.

She said they started the facility with just a handful staff, but two years later, they have employed more than 200 individuals who are doctors, nurses, cooks, cleaners, guards and other supporting staff.

“When we started, we use to see about 20 patients per day. However, currently, we are seeing over 150 outpatients daily. out target is to serve over 250 patients daily,” said Fardousa.

However, the 82-bed capacity hospital is perceived as an expensive facility for the Nyali residents only, a perception that the facility is trying to change.

“Majority of Mombasa resident think Premier Hospital is a very expensive hospital. Yes, we have modern hospital equipment, top doctors and other qualified staff, but we are not as expensive as many people may think,” she explained.

She said they are the only tier-one hospital at the Coast region which wholeheartedly admit public servants who are covered by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).

She said for patients who are not on any medical cover, can also get treatment at regularised prices at their facility.

“We do not have varied charges for our services. We charge all patients in a very transparent way. We are focused on delivering affordable health care to all Kenyans in accordance to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Universal Health Care (UHC) agenda,” she said.

Omar Swaleh, who was admitted at the hospital’s ICU for about two weeks, said the hospital management saved his life.

“I was rushed to the hospital unconscious. I really do not know what happen and was admitted at the ICU. The hospital really saved my life,” he said.

He said they had expected a huge bill, but to their surprise it was affordable.

“The hospital is clean, staff very friendly and professionals and on top of it all, their services are very affordable. With insurance cover or NHIF card, you are treated well. As for me, I paid using my own insurance health cover,” said Swaleh.