8/4/2022
KNH-Othaya: Taking health care services to consumers’ doorsteps By Suzern Nyamu Kenyan workers are more often than not weighed down by the strains and stresses of their respective trades after a long day of hard work. In view of this and the fact that specialised medical services are provided in few hospitals the idea of KNH-Othaya was borne with the aim of decentralising specialized medical services. In view of this and in a bid to take services closer to patients across the region, Kenyatta National HospitalOthaya has embraced the concept of satellite clinics running every month. At the satellite clinics, patients are attended to, and if there is a need for the opinion of a specialist, the patient is booked. The satellite clinics embrace a financialy stable patients getting specialized services at their doorsteps, thus easing the burden for general out patient services. “These clinics aim to give patients the same standard of care they receive at the KNH main Hospital. The satellite clinics have a major role in boosting access to medicine and healthcare” noted Mr. Gwaro, the satellite clinic coordinator. The services offered include general consultation, laboratory tests, nutrition counseling, covid-19 vaccination, counseling, and HIV testing. All these are offered at a slightly subsidized cost. In addition to increasing access to healthcare and reducing the crowding at the main Hospital, these satellite clinics are also a strategy to expand the reach of the KNH-Othaya brand. Through these clinics, individuals that have never visited the main Hospital get to learn about the services that KNH-Othaya offers. “We appreciate the services brought to us right here at our place of work. This has saved us a lot of time and transport expenses,” remarked Ms. Rose the Production Manager at Iria-ini Tea factory in Othaya where the Hospital held the first satellite clinic on February 8th and 9th 2022.
PHOTO | SUZERN NYAMU A patient being triaged at Gìtugì Tea Factory in Othaya.
PHOTO | SUZERN NYAMU KNH-Othaya team at a satellite clinic at Iria-inì Tea Factory in Othaya
These sentiments were also echoed by the Production Manager, Gitugi Tea factory in Othaya where we held the second satellite clinic. The satellite clinics are based on a patient-centered consultation
ISSUE 7 | Kenyatta National Hospital Newsline
style with a lot of active listening. It is fulfilling to see the satisfaction on the faces of those who have been attended to through the KNH-Othaya satellite clinics.
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