100-bed hospital to manage infection

President Uhuru Kenyatta chats with six-year-old Matteo Andale during the official opening of Maktaba Kuu Building, Nairobi. [Courtesy]

 

President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday opened an Sh800 million Covid-19 treatment and management centre in Nairobi.

The facility, United Nations-Nairobi Hospital Treatment Facility (UNTNH), is a 100-bed medical hospital, which consists of 15 Intensive Care Units, 45 High Dependency Units and 40 regular ward beds.

The project was realised through a partnership between the government, United Nations and Nairobi Hospital.

“All 100 ward beds have the capability for oxygen, medical gases, and vacuum, including functionality for conversion to ICU, without a retrofit requirement,” the Nairobi Hospital chairman, Dr Irungu Ndirangu said.

Speaking during the launch, President Kenyatta termed the facility "a monument to the transformative power of collective global action," adding that it was projected to last over 25 years "to handle other infectious diseases".

In a statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the hospital was aimed at augmenting the availability of ventilators and other specialised equipment for Covid-19 treatment.

Earlier, the president unveiled the modern Maktaba Kuu, which houses the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS), whose construction was completed recently.

The library will host 300 children and 50 senior citizens in distinct areas. It also has a room for people living with disabilities, four auditoriums, and a 500-seater capacity gallery.

The president directed the Nairobi Metropolitan services Director-General Mohammed Badi to ensure the facility was maintained well.

KNLS said the library would be interdependent drawing funds from a commercial wing that will host different business sections.

“We want to remove ourselves from dependence from the government support to interdependence," said Katana Ngala, the KNLS chairman.

The KNLS also reported that about 7 million people use library services annually.