Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest and largest Referral and Teaching hospital in the region. It was built to specifically   providing a medical research environment and to serve as a National Referral and Teaching institution. In 1987, Kenyatta became a state corporation with a sitting Board of Management and is currently at the apex of the referral system in the Health Sector in Kenya, and in East Africa.The 110 year-old hospital has a bed capacity of 1800, out of which 206 beds are for the Private Wing. It has 50 wards, 23 theatres (16 specialised), 20 outpatient clinics and an Accident and Emergency Department. There are 46 departments. It has 4,600 round-the-clock staff members and sits on 45.7 hectares of land that also incorporates College of Health Sciences (University of Nairobi), the Kenya Medical Training College, National Laboratory Service (Ministry of Health) and Kenya Medical Research Institute.

There is a 60 suite Doctors’ Plaza each with different specificity. The facility offers a wide range of diagnostic services such as Laboratories, Radiology/Imaging and Endoscopy among other specialised services. The 24-hour facility, on average, caters for over 80,000 in-patients with the bed occupancy rate commonly going as high as 300 per cent. In addition, at any given day, the Hospital treats between 2,500 and 3,000 in-patients. The hospital is a regional hub that offers quality specialised health services to patients all over the East African region. It is known for providing health services to patients from Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Namibia and other IGAD states. The hospital has trained medical personnel from these countries. Despite existing and emerging challenges, the hospital has continued to record exceptional healthcare performance through significant progress in its strategic objectives. Achieving these objectives has not only ensured that patients get effective and efficient health care services, that the  hospital enables the country in a rightful position that will see it tackle some of the challenges in the healthcare delivery system, which is big step towards the realisation of the Vision 2030 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

The hospital has laid out an ambitious five-year strategic plan that is expected to help it achieve international standards, which will give it world-class status.

KNH prides itself in giving patients efficient, reliable, improved and sustainable services that meet and exceed their expectations

By RONALD BERA