Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital will open its doors today for patients as it awaits official launch by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki confirmed the hospital’s opening, saying she is satisfied that the facility is now ready to serve patients.
The Sh8.8 billion hospital, which was constructed by the Chinese through a loan, was to be opened in August. But the opening was pushed forward due to lack of adequate staff.
Ms Kariuki toured the facility over the weekend with the hospital’s board chairman Olive Mugenda and concluded that it has the necessary staff and capacity to start operations.
Bail-out
“I have seen for myself and I have been assured that come Monday (today), we will be ready to open this facility,” she said.
Construction of the 650-bed capacity hospital was shrouded by controversy which at one time forced the National Assembly Health Committee to intervene.
The committee directed the National Treasury to bail out the hospital from the Chinese loan and provide it with Sh1.06 billion to kick-start operations.
At the time, the hospital, which has 21 Intensive Care Units (ICU), was ready to start operations but did not have the operating capital.
It was only until January this year when President Kenyatta signed an order that made the facility a state corporation, reviving hope of its opening.
The hospital is arguably the most advanced level six facility, and an addition to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital, which were the country’s main referral facilities.
Over the weekend, Kariuki warned that the referral hospital will not be a walk-in facility as KNH has become.
“I have to emphasise to the public that this will be purely a referral hospital. This is not a walk-in, walk-out facility. There is enough sensitisation so no one is left in doubt and think they can walk-in here with a flu or some other ailment,” said the CS.
Apart from the ICUs, the hospital has eight operating rooms and will provide dialysis services, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerised tomography (CT Scan).
Chemotherapy services
Cancer patients are among those expected to benefit from the facility as it will also provide chemotherapy services.
The opening of the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital will ease the pressure off Gatundu Level Four, Thika Level Five, Kiambu Level Five and KNH.
“We are committed to setting very high standards in the beginning and to ensuring those standards don’t go down,” Prof Mugenda said.
