President Uhuru Kenyatta on thursday officially opened the Sh8 billion Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital after ten months of operation.
The hospital opened doors to patients late October last year mainly in the oncology, renal and cancer units.
At least 60,000 patients have since been treated there and the facility will now fully open in the coming months.
President Kenyatta said the facility, affiliated to Kenyatta University but controversially made a Ministry of Health parastatal last year, is now Kenya's sixth level six hospital.
"This is our nation's sixth level six public hospital. As an affirmation to its place since it opened its doors, over 60,000 patients have received services," he said.
Uhuru toured the facility and laid a foundation stone for the proposed Integrated Molecular Imaging Centre.
He said the hospital's current capacity is 650 beds, 176 of them in the oncology unit.
"This will reduce costs to our people and increase recovery rate to our patients. The host has implemented a strategy to leverage on partnerships," he said.
The other level six referral facilities in Kenya are the Kenyatta National Hospital (1,800 bed-capacity), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (991 beds), Mathari Hospital (700 beds), Othaya National Hospital (350 beds), and the National Spinal Injury Referral Hospital (35 beds).
Uhuru noted Kenyatta University has further signed an agreement with Gatundu Hospital and will attach medical students there while KNH has taken over Gatundu Hospital.
"I want to encourage other governors in other parts of the country to establish such partnerships," he said.
Uhuru also thanked KUTRH chair Prof Olive Mugenda, who initiated the project 10 years ago while serving as the KU vice chancellor.
He also congratulated retired President Mwai Kibaki, former vice president Kalonzo Musyok and Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, who served as Minister of Health when the project began.
The facility will not be a walk in, walk out hospital – it will be 100 per cent referral.
Prof Mugenda said they have already served 4,000 cancer patients.
"On admission, we slowed down after selection as a Covid-19 centre. But with Covid cases now going down we will open more clinics in three weeks time," she said.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the hospital is in the process of establishing a fully-fledged mental health centre.
Former Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki launched the hospital operations on October 27 last year, 10 months ahead of today's official opening.
KU had protested the classification as a parastatal and also said that the institution was sidelined in the management structure.
Kariuki explained why it was gazetted as a parastatal, despite it being hosted by KU.
“The board was gazetted under the Ministry of Health and guided by the Health Act which requires level six hospitals to be run under the Health ministry. The issue of management is behind us now,” Kariuki said.
