Mrs. Zarina Merali and Sameer Merali joined his excellency the president, Uhuru Kenyatta as he unveiled the Zarina Merali Day-Care Centre and the kidney and liver transplants centre that will facilitate outpatient surgeries or same-day surgeries for KNH patients.
The project was jointly funded by the Kenya government and the Zarina and Naushad Merali Foundation. The centre is a specialized facility for kidney and liver transplants and for management of complicated kidney diseases, liver, other organs’ transplants, and provide training and research opportunities.
The centre opened its door to patients on December 14, 2021, and has four theatres, an endoscopy unit, an electrophysiology room, and associated support facilities and is equipped to offer a wide range of ambulatory surgeries such as cosmetic, dental, gynaecology and endoscopy to name just a few.
These are surgeries that do not require hospitalization before and after an operation, meaning patients who undergo some surgical procedures will be allowed to recuperate at home after an operation.
This, it is expected, will greatly minimize hospital-acquired infections, and reduce congestion in the wards for better management of admitted patients. There are better clinical outcomes when a patient is being nursed at home close to his/ her family members than when one is confined in the hospital. The outpatient surgery is intended to offload part of the cost of surgery from the patients, allow more patients to access specialized care while decongesting the hospital, and reduce patients waiting time in theatre.