The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has moved to initiate a plan to offer 24-hour services at various Nairobi Hospitals as the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) moves to stop outpatient services.
KNH is expected to stop outpatient services by July 1, 2021, in ongoing efforts to decongest the capital's Level VI hospital.
To cater to the medical needs of Nairobi residents, NMS Director-General Mohammed Badi launched 24- hour operations at Langata Health Centre which was recently upgraded to a level three hospital.
Badi also announced that Ngara Hospital would offer around-the-clock services in the new plan.
The operations will be extended to more of the 56 hospitals which are under the Nairobi Metropolitan Services.
The NMS has in the last six months constructed 24 Level II and Level III hospitals across all 17 Sub counties.
In February 2021, Uthiru-Muthua Hospital was launched and upgraded to a Level 3 Hospital. The 16 in-patient bed capacity was equipped with a maternity theatre, new-born unit, digital X-Ray Unit with a capacity to conduct 100 sessions a day and an ultramodern sonography machine with the capacity to do 50 complex obstetric scans among other sonographic imaging.
Also opened was Kiamaiko Dispensary, a Level 2 health facility, which will be focused on preventive and promotive health services such as the monitoring of pregnant mothers antenatal profile, children growth and welfare, community nutrition, family planning, community health strategy and chronic illnesses such HIV.
The agency also recruited health professionals who will be deployed to various hospitals in the city to meet the demands of health care services in Nairobi
"A majority to be deployed in the new 24 Health facilities a majority near completion and awaiting hand over to ensure delivery of the much-needed health services in the county's 17 constituencies while clearing the backlog of unattended patients in the county's hospitals and the country's referral Kenyatta National Hospital," Badi stated.
Congestion at KNH has affected service delivery at the national referral facility. Over the years, the ministry has taken to reduce patient numbers
In 2020, Othaya Hospital in Nyeri County which is an Annex of KNH was operationalised to get referrals especially from Mount Kenya and neighbouring regions.
The 300-bed capacity Othaya Hospital was equipped and set to offer similar services to the ones offered at KNH.
"The Othaya hospital which is an Annex facility of KNH will assist in decongesting the national referral hospital. People from this region will now be referred to the hospital in Nyeri County," a board member at KNH, Dr. Stanley Kamau noted at the time.
