Joan lost her mother to colorectal cancer in 2015.
She remembers challenges the family faced in their quest to get their loved one the best treatment.
They were torn between the long queues to access chemotherapy and other specialised treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital and paying dearly for the same services at a private hospital. Or travelling abroad.
“We didn't have enough money to fly her abroad. We lost her after battling the disease for a long time,” Joan said.
Most chemotherapy treatments are given in cycles, the length depending on the treatment, usually two to six weeks.
Luke, who stays in Githurai, lost his brother in 2016 to kidney failure.
He said had there been a good nearby hospital, it would have helped ease the family's strain. There were long queues at KNH and fears of getting in traffic along Thika Superhighway in case his brother developed emergency problems.
Joan and Luke say the opening of Sh8 billion, 650-bed Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital in August will be a big relief.
It will not handle outpatients, except in emergencies.
Kenyans will no longer have to spend huge amounts of money seeking treatment abroad.
The facility will have some of the most highly trained Kenyan and foreign doctors and surgeons for research, diagnosis, treatment and surgeries.
They will be supported by a highly trained team of nurses and clinical officers.
All departments of the hospital are internet-connected and all communication is paperless.
The hospital, which is complete and fully furnished with modern equipment, is to open in August after takeover from the university is finalised and human resources hired.
The hospital has been turned into a state corporation under the Health ministry.
Services
The hospital will provide treatment for cancers, as well as research and training of oncologists.
The facility has sa 21-bed Intensive Care Unit, eight operating rooms, an emergency room, dialysis unit and the latest imaging equipment.
Services include ultrasound, gynaecology, chemotherapy, transplant surgery, orthopaedic surgery, heart surgery, CT scans, paediatrics, serology and haematology, MRI scan, pain management, HIV-Aids comprehensive care clinics, family life and counselling.
Patients will also have access to bone densitometry that tests the density of bones. It is used to detect osteoporosis and other diseases in which the bone's minerals and density are low and the risk of fractures is increased.
Other services include psychiatry, physiotherapy, ENT, dentistry, an eye clinic, obstetrics/antenatal, endoscopy and histopathology.
The structure has been idle for two years after a row between the university and the government on who should manage it. The university had insisted on taking charge.
The Health parliamentary committee led by chair Sabina Chege visited the facility in July last year. It expressed shock that the country was spending billions in purchasing equipment for county hospitals — whereas a fully furnished hospital was lying unutilised.
Education CS George Magoha while touring the hospital said there will be no need for Kenyans to travel abroad for treatment.
“I'm very satisfied with what I've seen. I've been to many hospitals in Asia, America, Europe and even Australia and the standards in this hospital, assuming we'll maintain them, are like anywhere else in the world,” he said.
All that's remaining is the manpower, which will be handled in the next few weeks.
It is expected that Thika, Gatundu and Kiambu Level 5 hospitals will benefit from reduced patient numbers as many patients will seek specialised treatment at the new facility.
The hospital will also help decongest KNH.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)