Officials say the centre of excellence to be established in Kenya with international assistance will be the first and only one of its kind and capacity in the East African region.
Coast Provincial Director of Medical Services Dr Khadija Shikely revealed that the African Development Bank had approached medical experts in Kenya and proposed to fund a centre of excellence for renal transplants in the country.
She said while Kenya will host the centre of excellence in renal ailment treatment, Uganda has been chosen to host the region’s leading centre in oncology with Tanzania being proposed to host an ultra-modern institution in cardiology.
Dr Shikely also disclosed that Kenya was chosen to specialise in renal treatment due to the high prevalence of kidney ailments in the country.
“The centre of excellence (in Kenya) will be one of its kind in the entire East Africa that will see patients suffering from kidney disease getting transplants here as opposed to now where only a few can get transplants at Kenyatta National Hospital while majority are being referred to foreign hospitals,” said Dr Shikely.
Dialysis
Shikely was speaking at the Coast Provincial General Hospital yesterday during the commissioning of a kidney dialysis centre at the Coast General Hospital in Mombasa.
The machine worth Sh1.2 million was donated by the Kenya Commercial Bank which, simultaneously donated four similar machine to KNH and one to the Nyeri District Hospital besides a water treatment plant to the New Nyanza General Hospital.
There are only 13 working dialysis machines in Coast Province.
Experts say these cannot cater for more than 70 patients who seek dialysis in Coast on a weekly basis. About 20 patients in the region lack dialysis weekly due to the lack of machines. -The Standard
