Likoni - Healthcare for all e.V.
Architecture and structure of the hospital
The ground floor of Kingston Hospital opened in December 2014 and already enables outpatient and inpatient treatment. In addition to the waiting area with reception, there is a treatment room, a doctor's room, washrooms and seven inpatient beds. In the future, the hospital's own laboratory will also be built here.
Through your support, the hospital not only offers the possibility to care for patients, but also creates jobs for the local population. These are permanently employed doctors, nurses, receptionists, security- and cleaning staff, who are all part of our team on site. In this way, we not only make a social contribution to the care of the sick, but also provide sustainable support for region.
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A staircase at the back of the hospital leads to the upper floors. In addition, a ramp is currently being built, which will also enable the transport of patients in a lying position to the upper floors.
On the first floor there are additional washrooms and inpatient beds including a monitoring room, as well as an isolation room for patients with contagious infections. In addition, the operating theatre is currently being completed there. Besides, there is a sterilization room, a staff kitchen, a store and an office.
The second floor is still under construction.
Which patients come to us?
At Kingston Hospital patients of all ages receive both outpatient and inpatient care. You can read about the most common occasions for treatment below.
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Malaria. Since the region Mombasa is a year-round high-risk area for malaria and, in addition, Plasmodium Falciparum, the causative agent of the most dangerous form of malaria (Malaria Tropica), is the origin of the disease in over 99% of the positive cases in this region, the performance of a rapid malaria test is part of our routine examinations - even with the slightest suspicion. Early treatment of malaria is crucial for the prognosis.
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Other infectious diseases. These include other tropical diseases such as dengue fever, as well as simple infections of the skin, gastrointestinal tract or respiratory system. Due to the inadequate hygienic conditions in which our patients often live and the tropical climate, bacteria, fungi and parasites are much more common among the pathogens than viruses.
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HIV infection. In Kenya, the prevalence of HIV is assumed to be about 5.40% of the adult population (as of 2016). Thereby, the prevalence is much higher in the cities and especially in the structurally weak areas, which is including the catchment area of the Kingston Hospital. An active HIV infection leads to a weakening of the immune system, which ultimately results in AIDS. Patients with AIDS are very susceptible to infectious diseases of various kinds, which can be fatal. At Kingston Hospital, initial diagnoses are made using rapid tests, infections caused by AIDS are treated and patients are supported in their admission to the state HIV programme.
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Family planning. Within the daily consultation hours, we offer our much attented "family planning". Here, the aim is to advise people on the various contraceptive methods or to get to the bottom of the cause of a lack of pregnancy. The contraceptives chosen together are made available by us after the consultation. For many families but also for single women this is of great importance for a self-determined life.
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Burns. Since access to electricity is still a problem for many families, open fires are used for cooking or lighting. Unfortunately, this might lead to accidents in which children are often involved.
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Further accidents. Accidents keep occurring on the crowded roads of the region. Construction sites and other workplaces can also become accident sites, as in many places there are hardly any occupational safety measures in place.
Treatment options
At Kingston Hospital, in addition to the medical history taking and physical examination, the following important diagnostic and therapeutic procedures can be carried out with your support:
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Sonography/ultrasound: Our only diagnostic imaging to date allows us to look inside the body of our patients. This can be used, for example, to find out the cause of abdominal pain or to clarify the condition of a pregnancy.
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Laboratory tests: currently available at Kingston Hospital are urine tests, blood glucose measurements, pregnancy tests as well as rapid malaria and HIV tests.
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Fetal Doppler: this allows conclusions to be drawn about the heartbeat of an unborn child and is therefore an important tool for prenatal care and monitoring during birth.
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Electrocardiogram (ECG): This is used to check the transmission of electrical stimuli to the heart and thus to detect both acutely threatening disorders such as a heart attack, but also chronic changes such as heart failure.
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Simple apparatus-based examination options: e.g. blood pressure cuffs, clinical thermometers or stethoscopes supplement the physical examination.
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Minor surgery: minor surgical procedures, which can be performed under local anaesthetic, are part of everyday life at Kingston Hospital. Here, for example, wounds are treated, abscesses are split or women are treated for miscarriages.
