For Immediate Release
NAIROBI, KENYA, 10TH SEPTEMBER 2020 – The Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) was today commissioned by H.E the President Uhuru Kenyatta at is grounds on the Northern bypass at Kahawa West.
The dream to have a world-class University Hospital in Kenya was birthed in 2008 out of the desire of the then Vice-Chancellor of Kenyatta University, Prof. Olive Mugenda to build capacity for high-quality Teaching, Referral and Research in Healthcare for Kenya, and the East and Central African region.
Out of this dream, this ultra-modern 650-bed state-of-the-art that includes 76- bed cancer (oncology) centre, renal unit, cardiology, physiotherapy and many other specialisations was born. It is also the first Hospital to operationalise the pure referral model meant to be for highly specialised and emergency cases. The Hospital is now fully operational in most speciality departments including General Surgery, Cardiology, OBS/Gyn, Neurosurgery and many others with the following being our flagship areas.
This also marks a significant milestone in the health sector and is a part of the President’s Big Four Agenda that prioritises increased access to quality and affordable healthcare to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Laying Foundation Stone for an Integrated Molecular imaging Centre (IMIC)
The launch was also marked by the President’s laying of a foundation stone for an Integrated Molecular imaging Centre (IMIC) and Hospitality Centre. The IMIC is a unique facility for the early diagnosis and monitoring treatment of cancer.
KUTRRH is poised to become the only Public facility in East and Central African region to offer the comprehensive continuum of cancer care with the establishment of an Integrated Molecular Imaging Cancer diagnostic and Treatment Center coupled with a Hospitality Centre.
This centre will have state of the art PET/CT and SPECT/CT technologies that will help in early diagnosis and management of cancer that will be expected to increase the survivorship of cancer patients, reverse outbound medical tourism while at the same time increasing inbound medical tourism into Kenya.
Comprehensive Cancer Care
One of the Hospital’s flagship projects is Comprehensive Cancer Care aimed at filling the cancer care gap in the country. Since operationalisation of the Hospital in October 2019, 4,737 cancer out-patients and 686 in-patients have been attended to in the facility.
Our Patients come from all over Kenya with the majority coming from Kiambu Nairobi, Nyeri, Meru, Muranga, Kirinyaga, Nyahururu and Laikipia. As we increase service delivery, we expect to stand out as a regional centre of excellence.
There are only two (2) LINAC machines (Radiotherapy Treatment Equipment) in Kenya’s public hospitals, i.e. One at Kenyatta National Hospital and the other at KUTRRH.
The LINAC machine at KUTRRH (CLINAC iX) is one of the latest Radiotherapy treatment equipment with a 3D treatment and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) capability, a highly specialised mode of treatment.
Our current Radiotherapy machine is already being utilised to its full capacity, with 50 to 60 patients receiving treatment daily and patient queues are to piling up with growing needs of care. An extra LINAC machine will double our capacity for Radiotherapy from the current average of 60 patients daily to 120 per day.
A Centre for Quality Patient-Centred Care
KUTRRH’s mission is to enhance the quality of lives for Kenyans by providing patient-centred and evidence-based healthcare, training and innovation through the use of state of the art technology. In this regard, the Hospital launched its Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) that facilitates an exceptional patient experience.
The HMIS is a powerful system that automates data collection, storage, retrieval and processing. The system has the benefit of facilitating quick and coordinated care and promotes patient safety through enhanced efficiency, an aspect that eliminates delays in care and errors hence improved patient satisfaction. Since opening, the Hospital has overly seen over 60,000 patients.
Quality patient centred-care in KUTRRH thrives in mutually beneficial partnerships. In this light, KUTRRH has signed MOUs with Gatundu L5 Hospital, Kiambu County & another with Manchester University & The Christie Hospital (TCH), UK. KUTRRH will aslo collaborate with medical schools in Kenya and beyond.
KUTRRH Covid-19 Treatment and Isolation Centre
KUTRRH has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 in Kenya. KUTRRH was gazetted as a primary Treatment and Isolation facility on March 2020 and has been playing its role in helping the government’s fight against the pandemic by providing space and expertise to combat the spread of the disease in the country.
More than 500 beds and a 24-Bed ICU were set aside for COVID-19 patients. An additional 25-beds ICU and 20 HDU bed IDU has been put up to beef up capacity for COVID-19 response. In August 2020, the President, speaking at a virtual COVID-19 briefing, announced that the country had begun flattening the curve. The Hospital is now set to resume fulfilling its original mandate as follows:
The Hospital Mandate
The Hospital mandate is drawn from the Legal Order No. 4 of 2019 and is in line with other national Level 6 hospitals in the country. Specifically, the mandate of KUTRRH is:
- To receive patients on referral from other hospitals or institutions within and outside Kenya and provide them with timely and high-quality specialised healthcare.
- To provide facilities for and facilitate medical education
- To provide facilities for and facilitate biomedical research directly or with co-operating institutions.
- To develop dynamic leadership and managerial skills in health care.
- To participate as a referral medical hub in national, regional and global health policy
The Board of Directors is committed to putting in place the governance and leadership structures that will ensure the Hospital achieves its strategic objectives and the core mandate of being a preferred public referral facility, renowned for highly specialised and quality healthcare, teaching, Research and Innovation, both for the country and the region.
About KUTRRH
KUTRRH aims to be a premier national referral hospital renowned for clinical excellence, medial training, research and innovation that enhance the quality of life for Kenyans and beyond. The Hospital sits on a 100-acre piece of land, along the Northern Bypass, Kahawa West, Nairobi. It boasts of a 650-bed capacity complete with state-of-the-art facilities.
It prides itself in its human resource of dedicated and highly specialised individuals, state-of-the-art medical technology and digital transformation. These include medical, administration and support staff. The culture of KUTRRH is centred on our core values that are summarised as WE CARE. These are Work ethics and integrity, Efficiency and teamwork, Care and Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Equity.