NMS to set up 490 beds across Nairobi hospitals for Covid-19 patients

The Nairobi Metropolitan Service has commenced efforts to provide additional 490 beds in hospitals across the county to accommodate Covid-19 patients.

The move by the Mohammed Badi-led team comes just a day after the Ministry of Health revealed that there were only 3,400 beds available for Covid-19 patients across the 47 counties.

The number of positive coronavirus cases in Nairobi had hit 1,283 by Monday.

Targeted centres

NMS Director for Health Services Josephine Mbae yesterday said that the city team would be setting up 190 beds at Lady Griffin which is located at the Kenya Medical Training College, 90 beds at the Nursing and Training College wing in Pumwani and 50 beds at the Bahati Health Centre.

Ms Mbae said the identified areas will be used as isolation centres for asymptomatic Covid-19 patients.

“The surge in Covid-19 positive cases has necessitated that we increase the bed capacity to boost what we already have at Mbagathi, Kenyatta National Hospital and Kenyatta University isolation centres,” she said.

At Mama Lucy Hospital, the Metropolitan service will be setting up a 50-bed capacity wing and another 18 beds in the Intensive Care Unit. This will be used to monitor patients will severe Covid-19 symptoms.

Isolation facility

“The isolation facility at Mama Lucy has already been set up and all that remains are the beds,” said Mbae.

The NMS in collaboration with the Nairobi County Government has commenced renovation of medical wards in blocks 1 and 2 at Mbagathi Hospital in a bid to provide an additional 100 beds. The medical wards will be transformed into isolation centres that will host critically ill patients.

The NMS has also mooted a plan to establish community isolation centres in informal settlements.