East Africa’s largest referral hospital Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in May 2021 announced a plan to decongest the healthcare provider by closing its doors to walk-in patients. Under a partnership between the KNH and Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), the pilot rollout has so far seen the decongestion at KNH allowing the country’s biggest hospital to concentrate on referral cases only.
In the announcement Director-General Mohamed Badi said that the move is part of a wider plan by the Ministry of Health to have referral hospitals across the country serve what they have been specifically established for.
“In conjunction with the Ministry of Health, we have been able to produce a policy document on referral system in Kenya. Nairobi County will be used as a guinea pig as the first county to implement this strategy to ensure that KNH becomes a teaching and referral hospital only,” said Maj-Gen Badi.
A referral is a written request from one health professional to another health professional or health service, asking them to diagnose or treat a patient for a particular condition. This means that patients visiting KNH shall be required to get a written request from any of the Level 5 hospitals located across the country.
This pilot project sets the stage for the upgrading of healthcare facilities across the country as the government moves to deliver on the promise of universal healthcare under the Big4Agenda. The positive impact of improved healthcare on the working population brings with it opportunities for economic transformation in counties that host Level 5 facilities including Nakuru, Mombasa, Embu, Nyeri, Machakos, Kiambu, Kakamega, Garissa, Meru and Nairobi.
The anticipated improvements to the devolved healthcare infrastructure shall not only ensure that Kenya has a healthier workforce, but shall also lead to increased productivity specifically in the labour-intensive economic sectors and value chains.
Coupled with more efficient infrastructure, KNH Chief Executive (CEO) Dr Evanson Kamuri also announced in a statement that the rollout of the hospital’s Enterprise Resource Management System ERP that will enhance the efficiency of the institution to cater to the high demand for efficient and specialized services especially when managing referral cases. Dr Evanson Kamuri was speaking at the celebrations marking 120 years of KNH delivering service to the people.
Founded in 1901, Kenyatta National Hospital is the country’s largest medical facility with a workforce of 6,000 staff and is heralded as a top referral hospital not only in Kenya but across East Africa.