AAR ramps up competition with Sh3.5b hospital
By Herald Aloo, February 16, 2023
AAR Group has launched a Ksh3.5 billion facility expected to bring competition in the lucrative private health sector that has been dominated by few heavyweights for decades now.
The level-5 hospital, which will be the main branch, is situated along Kiambu Road, offering affordable services and medications at a slightly lower rate than the current market price charged by major private hospitals in the same category.
AAR Hospital was built with the assistance of various investors, including the World Bank’s arm Finance Corporation, International Fund for Health in Africa (IFHA-Netherlands), SwedFund, FinnFund, IFU-Denmark, and PROPARCO-France.
“We are committed to putting up additional modern hospitals and clinics in various parts of the country and throughout East Africa in the coming years,” Group CEO Steve Okeyo said during the launch. The hospital currently serves 200 patients a day and employs 180 people with the CEO saying it aims to serve more than 400 patients a day and to have more than 300 members of staff. The launch was graced by President William Ruto, Principal Secretary for Medical Services Peter Tum and Nairobi Governor Johnstone Sakaja among other government officials and health practitioners.
The new facility started operating in July 2021 with a capacity of 140 beds, four operating theatres, and a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU). It also has a nine-bed High Dependency Unit (HDU) and a modern neonatal ICU. The renal unit has 10 beds with the capacity to dialyse 40 patients in a day.
“Kenya is roaring into action in terms of attracting the calibre of investment that will quickly turn our healthcare sector around and propel us to the leading pack of globally competitive medical services destinations,” said Ruto.
– Herald Aloo