New Radiology and ICU departments unveiled at Gertrude's Children's Hospital

……The Children’s Hospital has invested in Kshs 400 million on this project.

Children from all over Kenya, East and central Africa region are set to be beneficiaries of state of the art units with specialized equipment for all life threatening conditions. The entire first floor of the four-storey Chandaria Medical Centre, a new wing at Gertrude’s Hospital, will be home to the Paediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU)while the Radiology department,complete with a CT scan, will be housed at the lower floor.

Apart from being child friendly, the CT scan in the radiology department has high resolution of 128 slice- capability making it the most advanced installed CT scanner in the region that targets children. This combined with low radiation dose exposure helps manage one’s lifetime exposure to radiation.

Speaking during announcement of the opening of the two departments, CEO of Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital Gordon Odundo said that opening of the two units is in line with the Hospital’s mission statement; to be the preferred children’s hospital in the region, and will greatly improve its services. Advances in technology have enabled children with life threatening conditions, or children undergoing major surgery, to have better outcomes.

"These units mark a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to provide the much needed therapeutic care for patient throughout the region," said Odundo. "This new design brings together all critical care specialties on a single floor to ensure that seriously ill patients receive the best possible treatment and that cross infection is drastically reduced."

The presence of two isolation rooms will enable safe admission of patients with lowered immunity (e.g. patients with some forms of cancer or with severe burns) or patients with highly contagious infections (e.g. pulmonary tuberculosis).

A notable feature that comes with the new units is the presence of pendants in the PCCU and HDU. These pendants suspend the critical care equipment for each patient from the ceiling, allowing for easy access, therefore improving safety in the unit as the floor is left clear without electric cables that obstruct staff movement and can cause accidents.

Waiting time in the new Radiology department will also improve greatly as all specialized equipment is located in its own room. Similarly unlike in the past, CT Scans that were performed in other hospitals will be done in this department greatly reducing risk in transfer of patients not to mention ensuring timely intervention in critical cases.

In addition, the new Chandaria Medical Centre will include a surgical ward and outpatient clinics. The center will be officially opened later in the year.