NMS Commissions Nairobi’s First Public Ear Hospital

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has commissioned another public hospital in Ngara Nairobi. The Ngara Otology Center will deal with ear-related complications including surgeries and implants.

The hospital is part of the other level 3 hospitals that were commissioned on Wednesday by Health cabinet secretary Mutahi Kagwe and NMS Director General Mohammed Badi, in a move aimed at boosting access to healthcare by promoting affordable services.

The facility will have an ear-specialized area for adults with hearing complications, with a special focus on newborn babies. Kagwe noted that the facility will be fully equipped and affordable services will be offered at the services by trained personnel, a move that will help in decongesting the Kenyatta National Hospital, which is the only facility dealing with ear-related complications.

“Because it is the only facility of its kind, we are going to ensure that whatever facilitation is required both in terms of equipment and training of personnel is achieved. We will make sure it has the personnel to ensure the hospital achieves its purpose,” Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said.

The new health facility is part of the hospitals being constructed by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) in a bid seeking to reduce work pressures in Kenyatta National Hospital, Mama Lucy, Mbagathi, and Pumwani hospitals.

The move was further aimed at easing the assessment of city residents especially those in the informal settlements, to enable the government to resource them adequately.

Most of the commissioned NMS hospitals are directed to operate on a 24-hour basis to promote healthcare to the residents. However, lack of basic drugs has been the biggest challenge reported in these facilities due to their huge reliance on donations.

The operational nature of these facilities has seen the utilization and access of public health facilities increase to 56 percent this year from 32 percent in 2019. The facilities have so far attended to over 2 million patients.

President Uhuru Kenyatta directed NMS to commission 24 hospitals in the city at an amount totaling 2 billion shillings. the facilities were to be constructed in Viwandani, Majengo, Mathare, Kayole, Soweto, Korogocho, Kawangware, Gitare Marigu, Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Mukuru Kwa Reuben, Kibera, and Githurai 44 areas. Ten out of the 24 facilities are level 2 hospitals and the rest are level 4 hospitals.

So far NMS has commissioned 20 hospitals with the remaining 4 expected to be commissioned by the end of this month. The commissioned facilities offer various services including maternity clinics, psychiatric clinics, inpatient, hypersensitive clinics, child welfare clinics, antenatal clinics, family planning, and HIV testing.

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