Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital – Best Pediatric Hospital In Nairobi

Healthcare for children is way different from adults. Their developing bodies require different treatment approaches and how they are delivered. The Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital in Nairobi acknowledges this basic fact and provides specialized healthcare services to children and teens up to 21 years. This award-winning children’s hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission International, US. It has been recognized several times by the CIO 100, FiRe (Financial Reporting), and ELNET Mark of Ethics.
The hospital was founded in 1947 after a land donation from Colonel Ewart Grogan in memory of Gertrude Edith, his wife, and is the oldest children’s facility in Kenya. Over the years, it strengthened its reputation not as a profit-making entity but as a beacon of hope for sick and dying children. Its mission is to not only provide sustainable healthcare services to children but also to create an environment that will nurture their health.In Kenya, it has provided comprehensive care and counseling to over 150,000 children and adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS. With its multidisciplinary teams of pediatricians, surgeons, anesthetists, and intensive care specialists, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital in Nairobi represents the ideal blend of pediatric medicine and research in every field of this domain.
Besides providing medical services in over 20 pediatric specialties, the hospital focuses on educating parents as well through webinars, live sessions, and workshops. To make the patients feel taken care of, the hospital has dedicated customer experience frameworks in place. According to Bernard Mpara, Chief Customer Officer of the hospital, real-time feedback from their patients has allowed the hospital to improve its treatment outcomes dramatically.
Find all about the hospital’s services, contact details., and reviews here.

Key Details

Refer to this table to get essential information about Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital.

How To Book An Appointment At The Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital

You can contact us directly for a speedy appointment. Alternatively, visit the hospital’s website and complete the specialist booking appointment request form. Provide the necessary details and choose your local time.

If you live in Nairobi and need immediate medical care, take your child to the Children’s Emergency Department. It can be done even without an appointment.

How Does Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital Help Parents?

The hospital helps parents navigate through key challenges that arise while raising their little ones. It does this through an eclectic mix of services given by highly experienced pediatric physicians. These include:

Pediatric inpatient services 

The Inpatient Pediatric Service offers state-of-the-art care for children and adolescents with varied pediatric conditions. The child or adolescent is treated in a developmentally appropriate manner. Focus is on fulfilling their medical and psychosocial needs. The hospital executive ward facilities, wards for newborns, felicity ward, jacaranda ward, surgical ward, and pediatric critical care unit. 

Pediatric outpatient services 

The hospital provides extensive services based on evidence-based medicine and family centered care. From pediatric radiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, lab services, and speech therapy, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital in Nairobi provides all kinds of outpatient services to children and teenagers up to 21 years.

Vaccine and immunization 

At Gertrude’s, care is taken to provide every newborn with vaccines that will protect them from pneumonia, bloodstream infections, meningitis and similar ailments. Moreover, parents are educated about vaccines, how they function, and how they protect children from life-threatening infections.

Specialist services 

Gertrude has the largest team of experts specializing in treating a variety of pediatric ailments. The hospital has a specialized clinic for the following:

• Allergy 
• Heart problems 
• Dental issues
• Dermatology 
• Ear, nose, and throat problems 
• Gastroenterology issues 
• Conditions related to blood (hematology)
• Infectious diseases
• Liver transplant
• Neonatology 
• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Orthopaedic conditions
• Eye conditions
• Plastic surgery 
• Mental health problems 
• Surgery 

Single day surgery 

Gertrude performs single-day surgery wherein the patient has their pre-surgical tests, operation, and recovery in a single day under general or local anesthetic. This surgery begins and ends in a single day. In the end, the doctors give appropriate post-care instructions to the parents of the child. 

Pharmacy services 

 The Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital is the point of reference for pediatric pharmacy practice. It provides the highest quality of medicines for children after reviewing their current ones. The pharmacists design the exact medicine according to the needs of the child and offer up-to-date information on its dosing and effects. The hospital also gives advice to both healthcare professionals in Kenya and parents about the management of medication poisoning. 

Lab services 

The Pathology Department of the hospital does standard and specialized pathology tests. These include hematology, histopathology, cytology, neonatal screening, HIV viral loads, and pediatric IgE panels, among others. The satellite services of the hospital enhance the accessibility of testing services. An individualized consultation with a pathologist is also available. The courier services help in handling and delivery of medical reports to parents. 

Inpatient and outpatient nutrition services 

The inpatient clinical nutrition service provides nutrition care through comprehensive screening, diagnosis, and treatment. The hospital has expert nutritionists who can handle the most serious and complicated nutritional deficiencies. 

The outpatient nutritional therapy is given for the management of: 

• Eating disorders
• Lactose intolerance
• Cancer
• Liver conditions
• HIV/AIDS
• Congestive heart failure
• Drug-nutrient interactions
• Obesity
• Nutrition supplements
• Gluten intolerance
• Food allergies
• Gastrointestinal Disorders
• Pre- and post-surgery for various conditions 

Child development services 

The child development services cater to children with developmental delays. It treats children with cerebral palsy, ADHD, autism, stammering, delayed speech, and mental retardation, among others. 

To parents, the medical professionals at Gertrude’s offer assessment and advice on:

• Delayed development in children 
• Speech and vision difficulties 
• Learning disabilities 
• Communication issues 
• Feeding issues 
• Behavioral problems 

The pediatric neurologist at Gertrude’s diagnoses, interprets, and creates a therapy appropriate for specific children. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, or audiometry for hearing is done according to the child’s condition. 

Teleconsultation services 

The hospital provides teleconsultation services through the Daktari Smart telemedicine program. This initiative, in partnership with various organizations, aims to make quality specialist care for children in rural areas of Kenya more accessible than before using technology. 

The program provides specialist care and treatment to children in specific counties via telemedicine free of cost. It effectively enhances the capacity of health workers to diagnose and treat sick children precisely. The Daktari Smart kit includes electronic medical devices like stethoscopes and vital signs monitors. It promotes real-time consultations between local health workers and specialists at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital.

Insurance Accepted By The Hospital

Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital accepts specific local and international commercial insurance. You must provide the details of your insurance upon appointment and they will help you claim its benefits. Before visiting the doctor, all unpaid balances, co-payments, co-insurance, and deductibles must be paid. Overdue amounts will incur a 1,000 Ksh or $7 billing fee.

Notable Achievements Of The Hospital

The hospital has achieved many milestones from the day it was built. Chief among them are the following:

• The hospital at present is the most preferred medical provider for children in East and Central Africa. Every year, it treats over 350,000 children. 
• Gertrude’s is one of Kenya’s top three hospitals for children in terms of Customer Experience delivery as per Ajua’s Q2 2021.
• The hospital has successfully treated 1750 children with endocrine disorders. 
• The Well Baby Immunization initiative by the hospital significantly reduced infant and child mortality rates in Kenya, especially Nairobi and Laikipia East. It was acknowledged with the Reduction of Child Mortality award for this initiative in 2010 and 2017.
• The hospital has shown itself to be at the forefront of using technology. It has many state-of-the-art infrastructure and equipment such as the low-dose Philips Ingenuity 128-slice CT scanner.
• Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital is the first hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa to have received accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI) for its deep commitment to providing quality healthcare.
• The hospital has made healthcare highly accessible through its satellite clinics. These clinics are strategically located at Meru, Kisumu City, Sarit Centre, Syokimau in Machakos County, Muthaiga, Pangani, Nairobi, Lavington, Thika Road, Embakasi, Kitengela, Mombasa, and Rongai. 

Why International Patients Prefer Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital?

Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital has successfully treated over 50,000 children from Bangladesh, India, Bahrain, the US, and Maldives. The specialized doctors provide highly personalized treatments to children from abroad, keeping in mind their unique needs.
The hospital staff greets patients and their families at the airport and handles their registration and discharge. The result is an unparalleled experience for international people.
Patients can also video conference with their treating doctors. The hospital’s staff ensures that every patient feels at home with services like in-room internet access, airport transfers, language assistance through interpreters, and a comfortable stay.

Recent Developments At Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital

In recent years, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital in Nairobi has become a source of pediatric excellence. It is observable through the following developments:

• Customer engagement frameworks that facilitate engagement with clients in real time and virtual bookings.
• A partnership with the government and the Kenya Private Sector to vaccinate all the member employees.
• A Cancer Walk to mobilize support for childhood cancer treatment on February 10, 2024.
• Gertrude’s has recently initiated a Pediatric Endocrinology Training Centre that sponsors children with endocrine disorders. Children receive treatment free of cost.
• A partnership with UAP Old Mutual General Business to introduce a complete medical cover exclusively for children up to 18 years. The cover limits range from Sh50,000 ($355) to Sh200,000 ($1,420) for outpatients and up to Sh5 million ($35,971) for inpatients.

Major Doctors

Gertrude’s has many experienced specialists. These include:

Dr. David Kiptum

Dr. David Kiptum is a pediatrician at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital. He has an experience of over 5 years in treating children with varied disorders. He has been instrumental in handling the worst-case scenarios and complicated cases. He is extensively trained at diagnosing, treating, and preventing common health issues in children. Parents of patients appreciate his clear communication and treatment techniques.

Dr. Doreen Terry Krimi Mutua

Dr. Mutua is an experienced hematologist at the Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital. She completed her medical degrees from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. After that she earned a prestigious scholarship and received training in pediatric hematology from the Jimma University/ASLAN Project (USA). Presently, she is extensively involved in taking care of children with cancer, tumors, and blood disorders.

Dr. Robert Nyarango

Dr. Robert Nyarango is an experienced pediatrician at Gertrude’s. He graduated from the Queen’s University at Belfast and has been serving this hospital for nearly a decade. He has played a huge role in making the hospital a centre of excellence. Besides being a doctor, he is also an experienced health systems manager with the aim to deliver high-quality and safe healthcare.

Dr. Susan Mutua

Dr. Susan Mutua is the chief pharmacist at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital. She is also a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya. At the hospital, she takes care of patient safety, quality management, performance improvement, and continuous survey readiness in the use of medication management.

Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital Reviews

The hospital has amassed many positive reviews from parents. People have appreciated the convenient access to medical attention from specialist doctors. The behavior of the hospital staff and the promptness with which queries are addressed have also allowed the hospital to garner positive feedback. Contact us to find more verified reviews of patients.