By Peter Mbachia
A multi-million state-of-the-art kidney hospital will soon be constructed in Nairobi to assist in the treatment of the silent killer. There are over 4 million people in Kenya that suffer for chronic kidney disease.
The construction of the 160-bed University of Nairobi’s six-storey East Africa Kidney Institute, which will cost Sh4.3 billion, begins this month and will be sited next to the Kenyatta National Hospital’s mortuary grounds. Speaking to Health Business magazine, the Institute’s deputy director, Dr Antony Were said: “As we embrace Universal Health Coverage as one of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s four key pillars, plans to construct the landmark hospital to assist in the treatment of kidney diseases are in top gear.”
Health Ministry Permanent Secretary Philip Tum is currently heading a steering committee which has been tasked to ensure the project kick-offs as scheduled. The members are drawn from the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta National Hospital, East Africa Community and the National Treasury.
The kidney hospital will be constructed through a loan provided by the African Development Bank (ADB), which has provided the bulk of the funding (two-thirds), while the Government of Kenya is providing the rest (one-third).
The money will be coordinated through the Ministry of Health. Dr. Were, who is also a consultant physician and nephrologist said the kidney hospital, is expected to play a big role in reversing the current trend where hundreds of Kenyans are spending millions of shillings annually seeking treatment for kidney diseases in India, Dubai, South Africa and other countries abroad. Currently, kidney transplant patients who travel to India for treatment pay Sh2.5 million, Dr. Were observed, but once the 160-bed hospital is completed, patients will pay less than Sh1 million for the same treatment in standards which are the same as those offered in India.
