Construction of the Mathare-Korogocho Level 5 Hospital is nearing completion. The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) confirmed the report and said that it will be ready by end of next month ahead of its commissioning in April.
Mathare-Korogocho hospital is among the 24 that NMS pledged to build in Nairobi’s informal settlements. The hospitals are in Viwandani, Majengo, Mathare, Kayole, Soweto, Korogocho, Kawangware, Gitare Marigu, Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Mukuru Kwa Reuben, Kibera and Githurai 44. 19 out of the 24 health facilities would be built from scratch while the rest (five) would be rehabilitated.
NMS Director General Major General Mohamed Badi said they have already made a request to the national government to set aside a budget for equipping the hospital with the process of procurement for equipment already underway.
Same level as Mama Lucy Hospital
Construction works on the health facility, which has been around since 1989, had stalled for several years before President Uhuru Kenyatta in July instructed the Major General Mohammed Badi-led administration to take over the upgrade of the facility.
Once completed, the Mathare–Korogocho hospital will have patient admission wards, a pharmacy, kidney dialysis centre, an intensive care unit and theatres. The facility will be at the same level as Mama Lucy Hospital which is also being upgraded by NMS. It is to be completed by April next year. The hospital is also expected to have more than 300 workers drawn from different cadres of the health profession.
“We are hopeful that once the infrastructure is completed next month, we will embark on employing doctors, nurses, and other staff to cater for the hospital to be operational hopefully by the end of April if we receive the money to buy the equipment,” said Badi.
