Kenyatta National Hospital will soon acquire Sh30 million tissue typing equipment to determine the genetic compatibility of the donor and recipient before organ transplants.
This will reduce the need to send samples overseas for testing. It will make KNH the first facility in Kenya to obtain the advanced equipment, Health PS Nicholas Muraguri said.
The machine will be acquired under a partnership between the African Development Bank and the East African Community, which aims to set up centres of excellence in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
The partnership will establish a Sh3.67 billion East African Kidney Institute in Kenya and strengthen the country’s existing kidney transplant programme.
The equipment will be used for kidney, heart, liver, bone marrow and cornea transplants. It will also aid the screening of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, genetic testing, infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases.
Muraguri, who made announcement last week, said the machine would reduce the time and overall cost of treatment. Sending samples to South Africa or India costs an average of Sh70,000.
It takes about three weeks before the results are released and if the test fails, another donor is sought and the tests repeated.
“Since the test is currently done outside Kenya, patients have to wait for some time before they get feedback. Time waste will therefore be avoided and speed in decision making will be enhanced,” the PS said.
The supplier will train Kenyan medics to operate the equipment, he said.
Muraguri further said the establishment of EAKI will increase the number of kidney specialists in Kenya through training.
At this time, there are only 15 nephrologists in the public health sector, with five stationed at KNH, and 50 nurses.
Although the construction of the EAKI complex is yet to kick off, training is already ongoing at the University of Nairobi.
Construction will begin in July next year and should be complete by 2019. It will be located on six acres within KNH grounds and have a 160-bed capacity, four operating theatres, lecture rooms, laboratories and a pharmacy.