Asian healthcare giant Columbia Africa opens facility in Kenya

Lifestyle Health and Fitness
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The facility which is the first in Africa is a 5,300-square-foot multi-specialty clinic and diagnostic centre operating under a new brand, Columbia Africa/FILE

By KENNEDY KANGETHE, NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 20

Columbia Asia, one of the largest and fastest-growing healthcare companies in Asia has opened a new facility in Kenya as part of its expanding operations in Africa. The facility which is the first in Africa is a 5,300-square-foot multi-specialty clinic and diagnostic centre operating under a new brand, Columbia Africa. Columbia Asia, part of Seattle-based Columbia Pacific Management, has 27 hospitals and one clinic in India, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, built with an innovative business model focused on serving a rapidly growing middle class with modern and efficient multi-specialty facilities located close to where patients live and work. The new clinic in Nairobi specializes in family medicine, internal medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology, general surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology and dental care. The facility offers health checks, as well as telemedicine to allow patients to consult with specialist doctors at Columbia Asia hospitals.

“Kenya is the economic, commercial and logistical hub for all of East Africa, with Nairobi as a major centre of growth and foreign investment, so the city was a great fit for our first Columbia Africa facility,” John Northen, Group Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Asia.

The Nairobi clinic also has a patient services centre to facilitate patients travelling for surgery at Columbia Asia hospitals in Asia, which had already been receiving a significant number of patients from East Africa.

“Africa has become a growing market for us, as patients are increasingly seeking multi-specialty, affordable healthcare services delivered at international standards,” Northen added.

Columbia Asia opened its first hospital in Malaysia in 1996 and over two decades has developed one of the largest hospital companies in Asia, with a focus on high-quality, affordable, standardized care. With the addition of the Columbia Africa clinic, the company has 10,000 employees serving more than 2.5 million patients a year, with 2,200 beds across 27 hospitals and two clinics.

KENNEDY KANGETHE Kennedy is a Bachelor of Arts in Communication graduate from St. Paul’s University and has been writing for the Capital FM Business Desk since 2013, Besides business news, he enjoys traveling, public.

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2016/09/asian-healthcare-giant-opens-facility-in-kenya/

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/health-care-inc/2016/09/why-this-seattle-health-care-company-is-expanding.html

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Standardized health care is a big plus, am hoping the charges will be pocket friendly for the common mwananchi.
My Kwesson is, private health institutions in Kenya, charge almost the same rate, as facilities in UK and US, what makes services expensive in this country, is because staff members are well paid, and security guard maybe paid $13.00 /hr, Nurses may make upward of $30.00/hr, which is partly why health care is expensive in the west.
Let’s land in .ke. why do this private hospitals charge a leg and an arm, while staff are not paid as their counterparts in the west? .

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True, what i’m hoping is that the more hospitals come up then the quality of service will improve due to competition and hopefully the cost as well.

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Quality of health care is bond to improve, but the cost, am not holding my breath for it.
Look at the cost of education, despite, learning institutions mushrooming everywhere, from kindergarten to Universities, the cost of education still remains high.
Education and health care, are two areas that are sucking life out of Kenyan Citizens.

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This is good news.

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