Kenyatta National Hospital

The Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest hospital in Kenya. It is a public, tertiary, referral hospital for the Ministry of Health. It is also the teaching hospital of the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences. It is the largest hospital in the country.[1]

Kenyatta National Hospital
Geography
LocationNairobi, Kenya
Organisation
Care systemNHIF
TypeGeneral Medical and Surgical Services
Affiliated universityPublic
Services
Emergency departmentYes
Beds1,800
History
Opened1901 (1901)
Links
WebsiteHomepage
Other linksList of hospitals in Kenya

Location

The hospital is located in the area to the immediate west of Upper Hill in Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya.[2] Its location is about 3.5 kilometres (2 mi) west of the city's central business district.[3] The hospital complex measures 45.7 acres (18.5 ha).[4]

Overview

KNH was founded as the Native Civil hospital, in 1901 with a bed capacity of 40. In 1952 it was renamed the King George VI Hospital, after King George VI of the United Kingdom. At that time the settler community was served by the nearby European Hospital (now Nairobi Hospital). The facility was renamed Kenyatta National Hospital, after Jomo Kenyatta, following independence from the British. It is currently the largest referral and teaching hospital in the country. Kenyatta National Hospital employs over 6,000 staff and has a bed capacity if 1,800.[4] However, due to congestion, the patient numbers can rise as high as 3,000.[1]

Administration

The hospital is administered by a 10-person board of directors, chaired by Mark Bor, a non-physician, non-executive board member. The chief executive officer is Dr Evanson Kamuri.[5] The principal of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Nairobi and representatives from the Ministry of Finance and from the Ministry of Health, also sit on the board.[6]

It is the policy of the hospital that those who do not pay their bills are not allowed to leave and may be prevented from doing so by armed guards. This policy is illegal.[7]

Teaching

KNH serves as the teaching hospital of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Nairobi.[8]

Notable staff

See also

References
  1. Merab, Elizabeth (13 January 2016). "KNH plans to end outpatient services in two years in bid to reduce congestion". Daily Nation. Nairobi. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  2. Google (23 October 2016). "Location of Kenyatta National Hospital" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  3. Globefeed.com (23 October 2016). "Distance between Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Harambee Avenue, City Square, Nairobi County, Kenya and Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  4. KNH (23 October 2016). "About Kenyatta National Hospital". Nairobi: Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  5. Kwayela, Juma (22 February 2014). "Lily Chepkorir Koros replaces Dr Robert Monda as KNH chief executive". The Standard (Kenya). Nairobi. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  6. KNH (23 October 2016). "Kenyatta National Hospital: Board of Directors". Nairobi: Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  7. "AP Investigation: Hospital patients held hostage for cash". AP News. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  8. Heather Susan Ruturi (2013). "Intensive outpatient treatment center: A necessity at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya". Bethesda, Maryland, USA: National Institute of Drug Abuse. Retrieved 23 October 2016.

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