NMS commissions 20th level three hospital in Nairobi

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services on Wednesday commissioned three new hospitals bringing the number to 20.

The hospitals, which are all Level 3, include Githurai, Baba Dogo and Ngara.

NMS director general Mohammed Badi said the hospital will boost access to healthcare by promoting affordable services in the slums.

He said the already commissioned hospitals offer various services.

They include inpatient, and surgical services ranging from outpatient services in hypertensive clinics, psychiatric clinics, maternity clinics, child welfare clinics, antenatal clinics, family planning and HIV testing.

Data from NMS shows at least 131,808 patients have been attended to at 13 of the facilities.

The success, recorded in the first four months of this year, has eased pressure on Kenyatta National Hospital and Mama Lucy Hospital.

Last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned Mihang'o Level 3 Hospital in Embakasi East and the Mwiki Health Centre in Kasarani.

However, the biggest challenge the facilities continue to face is the lack of basic drugs.

Early this year, NMS admitted the hospitals lacked some medication because they had been relying on donations.

Badi said the availability of drugs in health facilities depended on several factors including budget access.

“Availability and adequacy of medicines are a daily occurrence that is dictated by the number of patients served, healthcare finance and budget access, availability of physical infrastructure and workforce,” he said.

Until February last year, 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 study by the African Population and Health Research Centre in 2002 revealed that there are limited public health facilities in the slums of Nairobi.

Out of the 125 health facilities serving the four biggest slum settlements in the county, only four were public, 106 were private for-profit and 15 were private not-for-profit.

However, a night visit by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Badi during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in July 2020 changed the game for the health access of residents in slums.

With a vision to have accessible and affordable healthcare in slums, Uhuru directed NMS to construct 24 hospitals.

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.

Nineteen 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.

Ten out of the facilities to be built entirely will be Level 2 hospitals and the rest will be Level 3.

The number, however, changed to 28 after more consultations in 2021.

Between February and October 2021, Uhuru commissioned 14 Level 2 and 3 hospitals to ensure the 3.1 million people living in informal settlements have access to quality and affordable health services with ease.

For the first time, the number of walk-in patients has reduced in KNH and Mama Lucy Hospitals.

A Level 2 health facility is also known as a dispensary and is run by clinical officers while a Level 3 facility is referred to as a health centre and is run by at least one doctor, clinical officers and nurses.

These hospitals include Gichagi in Kangemi, Mukuru Kwa Reuben, Tassia Kwa Ndege and Our Lady of Nazareth in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, which were opened in July last year.

The Uthiru, Kiamaiko, Soweto-Kayole, Ushirika and Green Park hospitals were opened in February.

This year, Uhuru commissioned the 15th hospital, Mathare-Korogocho Level 5 Hospital which was renamed Mama Margaret Kenyatta Hospital.

The Sh400 million five-storey hospital will reduce the patient load at Mama Lucy Hospital, which serves more than 2.1 million people in Eastlands.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris