Healthcare in Kenya
Healthcare in Kenya varies tremendously, depending on your location, your choice of hospital and your need for treatment.
Expats will want to steer clear of the government hospitals in Kenya. Underfunding has made for poor quality care and poorly staffed facilities, which leads to overcrowding and limited service provision.
There is a national healthcare plan in Kenya which, theoretically, is for all Kenyans, and all civil servants are required to join, but expats shouldn't bother. Private care can be quite good with small but modern health facilities and well-trained medical staff. Serious operations, however, should be done outside the country, at facilities with better equipped facilities.
If private healthcare is not an option due to the inflated costs of this service, the recommended public hospitals are:
Kenya has an extensive network of private healthcare facilities, from small local clinics, to large, high-class hospitals.
Private healthcare can be quite good, with small but modern health facilities and well-trained medical staff. However, for any serious operations, it is advised that expats look outside the country for help (South Africa has the best medical facilities on the continent). There are a number of private hospitals and medical clinics in Nairobi and Mombasa offering all medical services at international standards:
There is a national healthcare plan in Kenya, which is, theoretically, for all Kenyans and civil servants, but expats shouldn’t bother.
Private health insurance is extremely necessary in Kenya: without it, healthcare costs are just as expensive as in Western countries, and covering all the costs for emergency care out-of-pocket can be impossible.
Specifically, Kenya has more medical evacuations than any other country, and an airlift can cost more than US$80,000. Often these evacuations are to South Africa, which has the best medical facilities on the continent.
Often employers relocating expats to Kenya will provide insurance, but if not, expats should obtain suitable Expatriate Health Insurance prior to arriving in Kenya. They should ensure that their plan covers private healthcare in Africa and, more importantly, emergency medical evacuations.
Expats should get the latest medical advice on vaccinations and malaria prevention at least three weeks prior to arriving in Kenya. A malaria risk exists all year round, but more around the coastal regions than in Nairobi and on the high, central plateau. Immunisation against Yellow Fever, Polio and Typhoid are usually recommended. Protection against bites from sandflies, mosquitoes and tsetse flies is the best prevention against malaria and dengue fever, as well as other insect-borne diseases. It is recommended that expats use a mosquito net at night.
Water in Kenya is of variable quality, and therefore expats are advised not to drink water directly from the tap unless they have a pathogen and bacteria-killing water filter. Cholera outbreaks occur frequently, and expats should take care not to drink contaminated water, and to be cautious of food prepared by unlicensed roadside vendors.
Public healthcare in Kenya
Expats will want to steer clear of the government hospitals in Kenya. Underfunding has made for poor quality care and poorly staffed facilities, which leads to overcrowding and limited service provision.There is a national healthcare plan in Kenya which, theoretically, is for all Kenyans, and all civil servants are required to join, but expats shouldn't bother. Private care can be quite good with small but modern health facilities and well-trained medical staff. Serious operations, however, should be done outside the country, at facilities with better equipped facilities.
If private healthcare is not an option due to the inflated costs of this service, the recommended public hospitals are:
- Kenyatta National Hospital Nairobi
- Coast Provincial General Hospital
- Nyanza Provincial Hospital.
Private healthcare facilities
Kenya has an extensive network of private healthcare facilities, from small local clinics, to large, high-class hospitals.
Private healthcare can be quite good, with small but modern health facilities and well-trained medical staff. However, for any serious operations, it is advised that expats look outside the country for help (South Africa has the best medical facilities on the continent). There are a number of private hospitals and medical clinics in Nairobi and Mombasa offering all medical services at international standards:
- Nairobi Hospital
- Aga Khan Hospital Nairobi
- Mombasa Hospital
- Diani Beach Hospital
- Mater Hospital Nairobi
- Gertrude’s Garden Children’s Hospital Nairobi
- Nairobi Women’s Hospital
- Aga Khan Kisumu
- Upper Hill Medical Centre Nairobi
Expat health insurance
There is a national healthcare plan in Kenya, which is, theoretically, for all Kenyans and civil servants, but expats shouldn’t bother.Private health insurance is extremely necessary in Kenya: without it, healthcare costs are just as expensive as in Western countries, and covering all the costs for emergency care out-of-pocket can be impossible.
Specifically, Kenya has more medical evacuations than any other country, and an airlift can cost more than US$80,000. Often these evacuations are to South Africa, which has the best medical facilities on the continent.
Often employers relocating expats to Kenya will provide insurance, but if not, expats should obtain suitable Expatriate Health Insurance prior to arriving in Kenya. They should ensure that their plan covers private healthcare in Africa and, more importantly, emergency medical evacuations.
Staying healthy in Kenya
Expats should get the latest medical advice on vaccinations and malaria prevention at least three weeks prior to arriving in Kenya. A malaria risk exists all year round, but more around the coastal regions than in Nairobi and on the high, central plateau. Immunisation against Yellow Fever, Polio and Typhoid are usually recommended. Protection against bites from sandflies, mosquitoes and tsetse flies is the best prevention against malaria and dengue fever, as well as other insect-borne diseases. It is recommended that expats use a mosquito net at night.
Water in Kenya is of variable quality, and therefore expats are advised not to drink water directly from the tap unless they have a pathogen and bacteria-killing water filter. Cholera outbreaks occur frequently, and expats should take care not to drink contaminated water, and to be cautious of food prepared by unlicensed roadside vendors.
