Uhuru unveils kidney and liver transplants centre at Kenyatta National Hospital

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday unveiled a Sh204 million Zarina Merali Daycare Centre at Kenyatta National Hospital.

The project jointly funded by the Kenya government, and the Zarina Merali Foundation was equipped by the government and the Sports Arts, and Social Development Fund at a cost of Sh155 million and Sh127 million respectively.

The centre has four theatres, an endoscopy unit, an electrophysiology room, and associated support facilities and is equipped to offer a wide range of ambulatory surgeries such as cosmetic, dental, gynaecology and endoscopy to name just a few.

The Zarina Merali Daycare Centre will facilitate outpatient surgeries or same-day surgeries for KNH patients.

These are surgeries that do not require hospitalization before and after an operation, meaning patients who undergo some surgical procedures will be allowed to recuperate at home after an operation.

This, it is expected, will greatly minimize hospital-acquired infections and reduce congestion in the wards for better management of admitted patients.

There are better clinical outcomes when a patient is being nursed at home close to his/ her family members than when one is confined in the hospital.  

The outpatient surgery is intended to offload part of the cost of surgery from the patients, allow more patients to access specialized care while decongesting the hospital, and reduce patients waiting time in theatre.

The President also lunched the KNH Centre for Kidney Disease and Organ Transplantation.

The centre is a specialized facility for kidney and liver transplants and for management of complicated kidney diseases, liver, other organs’ transplants, and provide training and research opportunities.

It is supported by a state-of-the-art HLA Lab for donor and recipient matching.

HLA Lab, the first of its kind in East Africa, is a histocompatibility and genetic testing laboratory for solid organ and bone marrow transplantation services.

The laboratory opened its door to patients on December 14, 2021.