Nairobi West Hospital begins coronavirus testing

City residents who wish to take a coronavirus test can now do so at the Nairobi West Hospital after the facility launched an isolation and testing unit.

The Level-5 facility can test 40 persons daily. Persons will get results in 24 hours, with each test charged at Sh7,700.

Since opening last week, the facility has conducted 242 tests.  

The hospital joins other facilities such as Aga Khan and Nairobi hospitals, which are certified for testing.

Visitors arriving at the facility will line up in marked circles to maintain social distance. Their temperatures will be checked by clinicians before being allowed to walk through a disinfection tunnel.

“In the disinfection tunnel they are sprayed and temperature machine-checked before they sanitise and are allowed into the hospital.

“If their temperature is suspect, visitors or patients get a time out at a side fever clinic,” Dr Prakesh Saini told the Star.

If the doctors suspect something, persons will be taken to the annex where there is a tent with medical personnel fo further interrogation.

“We then go into the actual building in the annex, where the potential patient will get both blood and swab tests for the virus,” Saini said.

Only if positive will they be moved upstairs to the isolation unit.

Should the patient go into a downward spiral and need a ventilator, they will be transferred to the high dependency unit or the ICU depending on the condition.

“When we collect the sample we tell the person not to come and collect their report. We shall email the report or send the results by SMS. But again if the patient is positive we shall alert the response team to handle that,” the hospital's operations director Ashok Mehta said.

A Ministry of Health protocol requires that any Covid-19 testing facility informs the response team what the report is.

Currently, there are 10 staff working at the isolation and testing facility; seven medical staff and three non-medical staff including a guard.

“The hospital doesn’t take samples after 3pm due to curfew restrictions to allow patients time to go home.”

The hospital intends to use the annex as its infectious diseases department once the fight against the virus is done.

The facility is setting up a 20-storey building with a helipad. The plan was to open the new building by June but it has delayed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

“We need to be committed to the community. That’s why our costing is lowest. We will continue testing at affordable cost with international standards,” Mehta said.

(edited by o. owino)