The Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital will open its doors to the public in the next three months.
This is according to Health CS Sicily Kariuki.
The 650-bed capacity facility has been turned into a state corporation under the Health ministry. President Uhuru Kenyatta signed an order to that effect on January 22.
The Sh8 billion hospital is expected to provide specialised treatment, especially for tumours, alongside training and research. It has been lying idle for two years after a row emerged between the university and the government on who should manage it. The university had insisted on taking charge. The government had its way.
In the order, the President said the hospital be run by a CEO and a board of management consisting of a nonexecutive chairperson appointed by the President, a few principal secretaries, top university managers and other state officials.
On Friday, Kairuki said the ministry had attached an acting CEO to take over from the university.
The CS toured the facility in the company of Education CS George Magoha, members of the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board and Olive Mugenda.
In an April 1 Gazette notice, the President named Mugenda the board chairperson for a three-year term. Mugenda is a former Kenyatta University vice-chancellor and a member of the Judicial Service Commission.
Kariuki said, “I urge the board to move with speed to finalise and actualise the takeover and the operationalisation of this hospital, which, as you know, has been lying idle for a few months.”
She called for careful identification of experts needed to make it work.
“Since the investment has been made by the government, it's only fair that we're disciplined enough to roll up our sleeves and offer healthcare services to Kenyans who are in need.”
The hospital has top-notch equipment. The board has been tasked to audit the equipment and other facilities.
Magoha said there will be no need for Kenyans to travel outside the country to seek medical care.
“I'm very satisfied with what I've seen. I've been to many hospitals in the globe — 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, so you don't need to go anywhere else to get medical treatment,” he said.
“The hospital is well-equipped all that's remaining is to get the manpower. This we're going to do in the next few weeks.”
Kariuki emphasised the need to carry the local community along in the operationalisation of the facility so residents can appreciate how it will be run.
The hospital will be purely and strictly a referral facility and will not be encouraging a lot of walk-in-walk-out customers unless in emergency cases.
It will help decongest Kenyatta National Hospital, being one of the closest level 6 hospitals.
(Edited by F'Orieny)