NMS hospitals record 131,808 patients in four months

At least 131,808 patients have been attended to at the 13 newly-opened Nairobi Metropolitan Services hospitals, data from NMS health directorate shows.

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

The hospitals include Muthua-Uthiru, Kiamaiko and Kayole-Soweto, Gatina, Gichagi, Green Park, Kianda 42 Community, Ngomongo, Ngundu, Njenga, Reuben and Zimmerman Pickens.

The 16-bed capacity hospitals are part of 24 new Level 2 and 3 hospitals being constructed across Nairobi’s informal settlements at Sh2 billion.

Uthiru hospital has attended to 5,974 patients followed by Kayole-Soweto with 3,774, Ushirika hospital with 3,541 and Kiamaiko at 2,919.

From January to April Kianda 42 community clinic has had 21,752 outpatients, Reuben (17,639), Kiamaiko (16,552), Ngundu (15,440), Uthiru Muthua (13,901) and Kayole Soweto (13,817).

Other outpatient records include Gatina Dispensary (12,094), Tassia (10,458), Njenga (10,404), Gichagi (10,171), Green Park (5,323), Ngomongo (6,516) and Zimmerman Pickens (5,784).

Last year, the above hospitals recorded 223,293 outpatient cases.

Reuben (23,158) Kiamaiko (39,200), Ngundu (5,735), Uthiru Muthua (38, 653) and Kayole Soweto (43,388)

Other outpatient records include Gatina Dispensary at 20,142, Tassia 18,427, Njenga 15,610, Gichagi 17,168, Green Park 13,033, Ngomongo  6,192 and Zimmerman Pickens  4,603.

From January this year to April 30, 854 deliveries have been recorded at the hospitals with 431 at Kianda 42, 101 in Uthiru, 79 in Njenga, 100 in Tassia, 104 in Ngundu and 39 in Reuben.

This, according to NMS, is a great number compared to the 674 deliveries last year.

For the whole of 2021, there were 123 deliveries.

Kianda had 42, Uthiru 341, Njenga 101, Tassia 53, Ngundu 39 and Reuben 17.

NMS director general Mohammed 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 said.

However, the biggest challenge the facilities faced was a 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.

Last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned 14 Level 2 and 3 hospitals to cater for 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 one 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 the Informal settlements had minimal access to health provisions.

They depended on Kenyatta National Hospital as walk-in patients causing congestion and depriving Kenyans of far-flung areas of receiving specialised services at the referral hospital.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris