When Dialysis Is Closer to Home

By Mbiyu Githuku

For someone living with kidney failure, dialysis is not a treatment they can afford to miss. It is part of their routine—and for many patients, that routine has meant travelling long distances several times a week just to get the treatment they need.

But for patients in Nyeri and surrounding counties, things are beginning to change.

Mwai Kibaki Referral Hospital is now offering renal dialysis services around the clock, seven days a week. The move is expected to make it easier for patients to access treatment without having to travel far from their homes.

Principal Secretary for Medical Services, Dr Ouma Oluga, says expanding specialised services at the hospital will help reduce the burden on patients who previously had to seek treatment outside their home areas.

For a dialysis patient, the distance to a hospital can be a serious challenge. There is the cost of transport, the time spent travelling and, for those coming from far away, the possibility of having to find somewhere to stay.

And because dialysis is usually required regularly, those costs and challenges can quickly add up.

The availability of the service at Mwai Kibaki Referral Hospital therefore offers patients something many have been waiting for—specialised care closer to home.

The hospital, located in Othaya, has been growing into a major referral centre serving patients from Nyeri and other parts of the country.

Its renal unit is among the specialised departments offering care to patients with kidney-related conditions, including haemodialysis for both inpatients and outpatients.

But dialysis is only part of the bigger picture.

Mwai Kibaki Referral Hospital is undergoing a wider transformation, with the government working to expand its specialised medical services and strengthen its position as a national referral facility.

The hospital has also been developing services in areas such as oncology, surgery, critical care, ophthalmology and urology.

The transformation comes as the facility takes on a more independent role as a national referral hospital, a move that is expected to increase access to specialised healthcare outside Nairobi.

For patients, however, the real measure of this transformation is much simpler.

It is whether they can get the treatment they need without spending hours on the road.

It is whether a mother accompanying her child to hospital can return home the same day.

It is whether a patient undergoing dialysis can receive treatment without worrying about the cost and exhaustion of travelling hundreds of kilometres.

That is why the expansion of renal dialysis services at Mwai Kibaki Referral Hospital matters.

Healthcare is not only about having modern buildings and equipment. It is also about making sure that the person who needs treatment can actually reach it.

With dialysis now available day and night, patients in the region have one less barrier standing between them and the care they need.

For many families, that could make all the difference.

Health as a Right