•The 15th hospital that was commissioned this year was the Mathare-Korogocho Level 5 Hospital which was renamed Mama Margaret Kenyatta Hospital.
•Badi said since NMS was formed, it had been working on reducing the over-reliance on the Kenyatta National Hospital.
Image: MAUREEN KINYANJUI
President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to commission five new health facilities under Nairobi Metropolitan Services on Tuesday.
Some of the facilities include Mwiki health facility, Mihang'o health facility.
Uhuru will also preside over the issuance of title deeds at Muhuri Muchiri Stadium in Ruai.
The five hospitals are part of the 28 hospitals that are being constructed by the Director General Mohammed Badi led entity.
Last year, the President commissioned 14 Level 2 and 3 hospitals to cater to the needs of residents in the informal sector.
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.
The Uthiru, Kiamaiko, Soweto-Kayole, Ushirika and Green Park hospitals were opened in February.
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.
The 15th hospital that was commissioned this year was the 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 the Eastlands area.
Badi said since NMS was formed, it had been working on reducing the over-reliance on the Kenyatta National Hospital.
At the time of the establishment of NMS, 3.1 million Nairobi residents living within informal settlements had minimal access to healthcare.
They depended on Kenyatta National Hospital, as walk-in patients caused congestion and deprived Kenyans from far-flung areas of receiving specialised services at the referral hospital.
Following the deed of transfer in February 2020, NMS embarked on a journey to change the health system within the city.
With a vision to have accessible and affordable healthcare in slums, Uhuru instructed 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 revamped for Sh300 million.
Ten of the facilities were Level 2 hospitals and the rest were Level 3.
Between February and October, the President commissioned 14 hospitals to ensure 3.1 million people living in informal settlements were able to access quality and affordable health services.
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.”
Outpatient data
Data from NMS health directorate showed that at least 131,808 patients have been attended to at the 13 newly-opened hospitals.
The hospitals include Muthua-Uthiru, Kiamaiko and Kayole-Soweto, Gatina, Gichagi, Green Park, Kianda 42 Community, Ngomongo, Ngundu, Njenga, Reuben and Zimmerman Pickens.
Badi said the achievements were impressive.
“NMS takes great pride in the work done to address gaps in the healthcare system and continues to concert efforts with all stakeholders to achieve the sector’s highest aspirations,” Badi stated.
However, the biggest challenge these facilities faced was 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.