The KNH state-of-the-art projects

By Kennedy Mbogo & Dave Opiyo

Zarina Merali Daycare Centre

The Zarina Merali Daycare Centre is the state-of-the art facility that will facilitate outpatient surgeries or same-day surgeries for KNH patients. These are surgeries that do not require hospitalization before and after an operation, meaning patients who undergo some surgical procedures will be allowed to recuperate at home after an operation.

The newly launched Zarina Merali day care centre building

PHOTO | NICHOLAS WAMALWA

The Sh204 million project construction was funded jointly by the Government of Kenya and the Zarina Merali Foundation.

Equipping of the state-ofthe-art facility was done by the Government and the Sports Arts & Social Development Fund at a cost of Sh155 million and Sh127 million respectively.

The centre has four (4) theatres, an endoscopy unit, an electrophysiology room, and associated support facilities. It is equipped to offer a wide range of ambulatory surgeries such as cosmetic, dental, gynaecology, endoscopy to name just a few.

This, it is expected, will greatly minimize hospital-acquired infections and reduce congestion in the wards for better management of admitted patients.

There are better clinical outcomes when a patient is being nursed at home close to his/ her family members than when one is confined in the hospital. Patients who have undergone surgery through this arrangement are indeed a happy lot.

The popularity the Daycare Centre has, of late, been on the increase due to the rising demand for outpatient surgery and improved technologies.

Statistics indicate that 80 percent of the long waiting time by patients is caused by a lack of theatre allocation arising from a high number of surgical cases.

The outpatient surgery is intended to offload part of the cost of surgery from the patients, allow more patients to access specialized care while decongesting the hospital, and reduce patients waiting time in the theatre.

Centre for Kidney Diseases & Organ Transplantation (CKDOT)

The KNH Centre for Kidney Disease and Organ Transplantation is a specialized facility for kidney and liver transplants and the management of complicated kidney diseases, liver, including other organs’ transplants, and provides training and research opportunities. It is supported by a state-of-the-art HLA Lab for donor and recipient matching.

The newly launched Centre for Kidney Diseases and Organ Transplantation building

PHOTO | NICHOLAS

The facility was funded by the Government of Kenya at a cost of Sh 200 million and has two transplant theatres, a postrecovery room, and two wards, each containing six (6) beds for both genders and cloakrooms.

Non-communicable diseases account for approximately 27% of all deaths in Kenya, equivalent to almost 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2016). Over 50% of all hospital admissions are as a result of NCDs.

Twelve (12) years ago KNH started a program dubbed ‘Interlife’ to revamp Kidney Transplantation Services in the country.

This was occasioned by a rise in the number of Kenyans developing chronic kidney disease, with a significant number of these individuals requiring dialysis and eventually transplantations.

Unfortunately, only 10 percent of these patients with end-stage kidney failure, were able to access specialized health care.

This, as a result, led to increased demand for the services and so far, Kenyatta National Hospital has performed more than 200 Kidney Transplants.

With the number of patients seeking transplants rising every year, there was a significant capacity gap in terms of space in the hospital, thereby necessitating expansion of the existing renal facility.

In 2017, the Government of Kenya commenced the construction of a new renal unit that would serve as a regional centre of excellence in the management of kidney diseases.

Patient care has greatly improved as they are now being served in a decent environment with comfortable facilities and appropriate isolation for posttransplant patients.

CEO KNH Dr. Evanson Kamuri, EBS takes President Uhuru Kenyatta on a tour of the Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics Laboratory (HLA Lab).

PHOTO | COURTESY

Previously the patients were being nursed in normal wards which placed them at an increased risk of infections, which could interfere with preferred clinical outcomes.

In this unit now, any Kidney transplant patient whether surgery was done locally or outside the country can receive post-transplant care and clinical reviews from our specialists.

Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics Laboratory (HLA Lab)

The KNH Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics Laboratory (HLA Lab) is a state-of-the-art laboratory for histocompatibility and genetic testing for solid organ and bone marrow transplantation. The lab is the first of its kind in East Africa and will greatly support organ and tissue transplants by testing donor and recipient matching locally.

It has been described as the ‘new kid on the block’. The establishment of this laboratory has been well received by our clients who no longer depend on foreign laboratories for HLA tissue typing services.

The laboratory opened its door to patients on December 14, 2021. Among the readily available tests include HLA-A, B, C, DR, DQ, DP, Class I& II Antibody, Class I ID Antibody Detection, Class II IDv2 Antibody Detection, Donor Specific Antibody Detection, Single Antigen Class I Detection, Single Antigen Class II Detection, Single Antigen MIC Antibody Detection, and Complement Dependent Cytotoxicity.

We aim to play among the best as we continue to offer efficient and effective histocompatibility and Immunogenetics services. Of utmost importance is the intended plan to enroll the laboratory in the American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) accreditation program to maintain high standards of operation.

In the spirit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC); a critical pillar of the government’s Big 4 Agenda to ensure accessibility of health care from the primary to the tertiary levels, these facilities demonstrate the government’s commitment to this agenda.