•The new health facilities have reduced the long queues in KNH, Mbagathi, Mama Lucy, Mutuini and Pumwani Maternity hospitals and ensured access to quality health services.
•NMS is aiming to launch the remaining hospitals before the 2022 general election.
Health has always been allocated the lion’s share over the years in the Nairobi county budget.
However, the sector has been one of the worst.
Access to healthcare for residents in informal settlements has been a challenge.
Until February, Nairobi’s healthcare system had been plagued with high costs for patient care, weak technical awareness of the patients, low drug availability and weak healthcare staff quality.
A 2002 study by the African Population and Health Research Centre revealed there has been limited public health facilities in Nairobi slums.
Out of the then 125 health facilities serving the four biggest slum settlements, only four were public, 106 were private for-profit and 15 were private for non-profit.
This has left residents in the hands of private facilities which forces them to dig deeper into their pockets.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, Nairobi’s government facilities on average have a much lower admission rate than private hospitals.
The number of outpatient visits and inpatient admissions grew between 2014 and 2018 at an annual rate of 12.3 per cent and 12.7 per cent, private hospitals accounted for 7 per cent of that growth.
The government facilities were then said to have 60 per cent of private hospitals’ bed capacity but fewer admissions proportionally (33 per cent).
In September 2019, a report by the Nairobi county assembly Health committee revealed that 1,079 out of 9,043 health facilities were licensed meaning of every 10 health facilities, eight were likely to be unlicensed.
This meant the majority of residents could be getting health services from quacks.
With a population of close to five million, 47 per cent of residents used to rely on Kenyatta National Hospital as their first point of access for health services.
Following the deed of transfer in February last year, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services embarked on a journey to change the health system.
A night visit by President Uhuru Kenyatta and NMS director general Lt Mohammed Badi changed the game for the health access for slum residents.
The President dressed who was dressed in unrecognised attire witnessed an expectant mother being turned away from a clinic with a seven-bed capacity.
With a vision to have accessible and affordable healthcare in slums, Uhuru directed NMS to construct 24 hospitals which later increased to 28.
At Sh2 billion, NMS was to set up the hospitals in Viwandani, Majengo, Mathare, Kayole, Soweto, Korogocho, Kawangware, Gitare Marigu, Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Mukuru Kwa Reuben, Kibera and Githurai 44.
19 out of the 24 health facilities would be built from scratch each at Sh70 million while the rest (five) would be rehabilitated for Sh300 million.
10 out of the facilities were Level 2 hospitals and the rest Level 3.
Between February and October, the President has commissioned 14 hospitals to ensure 3.1 million people living in informal settlements access quality and affordable health services with ease.
For the first time, walk-in patients have not only reduced in KNH but also in Mbagathi and Mama Lucy Hospitals.
“The number of patients at KNH has reduced because people in informal settlements now have access to health care services,” NMS Director of Health Services Ouma Oluga said.
The new hospitals mostly located in informal settlements have around 2,000 health care workers.
They are 179 doctors, 200 clinical doctors, 900 nurses, 100 health record officers, 100 laboratory technicians, 100 nutritionists and support staff members.
The 14 hospitals are Kibera Level 3, Undugu, Ng'undu Kamulu, Ngomongo and Zimmerman. They were commissioned in September.
Gichagi in Kangemi, Mukuru Kwa Rueben, Tassia Kwa Ndege and Our Lady of Nazareth in Mukuru Kwa Njenga were opened in July.
The Uthiru, Kiamaiko, Soweto-Kayole, Ushirika and Green Park hospitals were opened in February.
With all these hospitals, the President said health services can be made accessible anywhere in Nairobi without going to KNH.
“The public can now access health services and I am proud of the good work NMS director general and his team have done in building these facilities in remote areas,” he said.
Up to November, over 200,000 patients have sought health services from the 14 new health facilities.
Level 2 also known as a dispensary is run by clinical officers. It offers outpatient, VCT, tuberculosis tests, laboratory, antenatal and postnatal services, curative treatment and referrals to other facilities.
Level 3 offers both outpatient and Inpatient services, Maternity Theatre, Digital X-Ray Unit with a capacity to conduct 100 sessions a day.
They also focus on Primary Health care, Community Health Services and Chronic Diseases
With the new facilities accessible and operational, residents will save time and money spent seeking health services from KNH and other hospitals like Mbagathi.
The availability of Haemogram machines has made it possible for patients not to rush to Kenyatta hospital for laboratory services.
Haemogram machines are normally found in Level 4 hospitals but they are now in all the 14 facilities.
Pregnant women no longer have to travel far for maternity services as the Level three facilities have theatres and Level two have equipment ready just in case of any emergency case.
The new health facilities have reduced long queues in KNH, Mbagathi, Mama Lucy, Mutuini and Pumwani Maternity hospitals and ensured access to quality health services.
NMS is aiming to launch the remaining hospitals before the 2022 general election.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris