Mbagathi to have 400-bed temporary facility for Covid-19 patients

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services is to set up a makeshift Covid-19 isolation facility with a 400 asymptomatic bed capacity at Mbagathi Hospital.

NMS deputy director-general Enosh Momanyi said on Sunday at then hospital that the temporary 400-bed facility is a collaboration with the University of Nairobi Enterprises and Services Limited.

“This will minimise costs, time duration and benefit from experts in the actualisation of such projects,” Momanyi said.

The city remains the country's epicentre of the contagious disease with 2,292 out of 4,738 positive cases nationwide as of June 21. Covid-19 cases continue to increase on a daily basis.

Momanyi reiterated NMS's commitment to the renovation of facilities at Mbagathi to increase bed capacity by 78 beds. Critically ill Covid-19 patients will be treated at the hospital's 10-bed Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Unit. 

Early this month, NMS Health Services director Josephine Kibaru-Mbae  disclosed that they were renovating Blocks 1 and 2 at Mbagathi Hospital for conversion into isolation wards for 100 extra critically ill patients.

Nairobi has isolation centres at Mbagathi, Kenyatta National Hospital and Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital.

Lady Griffin at Kenya Medical Training College will have 190 beds, Pumwani's Nursing and Training College 90 and Bahati Health Centre 50.

Also, a 50-bed capacity wing is ready at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital where 18 beds will be at the ICU.

Mbae said the facility will admit Covid-19 patients with serious symptoms such as difficulty in breathing and chest pains. Such patients require ventilators.

Momanyi also inspected the new Outpatient Department and the Patient Queue Management System. He said the system will create efficiency and timeliness in service delivery and ease congestion.

The QMS, which is a partnership with UAP Old Mutual, was launched last year in September at Mama Lucy Hospital.

The Sh5 million project ensures efficiency and reduces the turnaround time for patients.

The system gathers real-time data about the service, wait time and customers. It organises patients on a "first in, first out" basis.

On arrival, a patient picks a ticket number from a vendor machine. He/she is subsequently called to the relevant clinic audio-visually.  Its friendly user interface enables the hospital to manage queues.

- mwaniki fm