The quality of the hospital environment can make an important difference to their treatment, recovery and dignity for patients requiring specialised orthopaedic care, a recent spot check at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) reveals.
The story lies in three newly reconstructed and equipped orthopaedic wards. The facilities are expected to improve the experience of patients while giving healthcare workers a better environment in which to deliver specialised services if their trsnsformation is anything to go by.
This follows a Sh102 million investment by the Co-operative Bank of Kenya through its Foundation, which has completed the reconstruction and equipping of wards 6A, 6B and 6D at the country’s largest referral hospital.
The project, undertaken over six months, was officially handed over to the Ministry if Healrh and the KNH management at the end if kast week, marking another milestone in the hospital’s ongoing efforts to modernise its facilities.
Speaking during the handover, Lydia Rono, Co-operative Bank’s Director of Corporate and Institutional Banking, said the investment places the bank among the first corporate partners to respond to KNH’s Adopt a Ward initiative, launched as part of preparations for the hospital’s 125th anniversary.
“Through the Foundation, the Bank worked on the project for six months and spent Kes.102Million on the reconstruction and equipping of 3 orthopedic wards with state-of-the-art equipment including beds,” she said, explaining that this is meant to offer the highest possible healthcare standards.
The facilities are expected to enable much improved health outcomes for patients and enable healthcare workers to be much more.
The three wards have been fitted with modern hospital beds and other specialised equipment intended to support improved standards of healthcare delivery under the Adopt a Ward campaign
The initiative seeks to mobilise corporate and other partners to help upgrade the hospital’s ageing infrastructure, including its 70-year-old tower block, which has served generations of Kenyans.
“For us as a bank, the refurbishment represents an important intervention in addressing the physical environment in which patients receive treatment,” Rono said.
KNH has been central to the country’s specialised healthcare system for more than a century.
Orthopaedic services are particularly important to patients recovering from injuries, fractures and other conditions affecting mobility.
The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Richard Lesiyampe noted that upgraded orthopaedic facilities, including the International Trauma Center’s renovated Casting Room and new wards, will enhance care for trauma and fracture patients.
“The modernized facilities are designed to act as a global and local training center for medical professionals,” he said, urging clinical staff at the International Trauma Center (ITC) to adhere strictly to safety protocols.
He expressed gratitude to private sector contributors like the Co-operative Bank of Kenya, Surgipharm Ltd, and BSN-ESSITY among others for funding clinical capacity upgrades.
Patients with orthopaedic needs often requires specialised facilities, appropriate equipment, sustained medical attention and rehabilitation.
“Improving ward infrastructure therefore goes beyond giving hospital buildings a facelift.
“It is also about creating conditions that support clinical care, patient safety, recovery and the dignity of people seeking treatment,” Dr. Lesiyampe noted.
The handover ceremony was attended by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, KNH Board Chairman Abass Gullet, among other officials.
As KNH marks 125 years of service, the partnership also highlights the role corporate institutions can play in supporting public healthcare infrastructure.
However, the long-term measure of such investments will ultimately be reflected in the quality of care patients receive he explained, noting thst the effectiveness of healthcare workers and the hospital’s ability to provide safe and dignified treatment is also critical.
“For patients whose recovery depends on specialised orthopaedic care, the renewed wards represent more than refurbished hospital spaces,” he added.
