Langata Hospital Statement on Covid-19 Testing Services
The Directors and Management of Langata Hospital have noted with concern the reports in the media regarding alleged COVID-19 testing services at the hospital, and wish to make the following clarification on Friday 20th July 2020.
Over the past few months, the hospital has received numerous enquiries from its patients and other members of the public on the availability of COVID-19 testing services at the hospital laboratory. We have always advised them that we do not conduct such tests at our hospital laboratory, and we have indeed never conducted any such tests.
We wish to further advise the public that Langata Hospital is not closed, as reported in one of the daily newspapers. Following the raid by government officials on Wednesday, 8 July 2020, the hospital laboratory has been closed and criminal charges brought against our staff. The issue of the criminal charges is now a matter before the court, and we shall therefore refrain from addressing it here.
In an effort to respond to the needs of our patients, we reached out to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) on the possibility of referring our patients for testing at its facility. We received an affirmative response from the relevant officers at KEMRI, and it is on that basis that we put in place safety procedures to enable our patients to be provided with valid COVID-19 testing services at KEMRI.
Booking of tests was done by appointment only in order to limit the patients to be tested at any one time to a safe number. The patients would report to Langata Hospital where they would be processed and advised on safety procedures by qualified medical personnel. They would then be driven to KEMRI for testing then back to the hospital after the testing in the hospital ambulance. The ambulance was always fumigated after each trip. No COVID-19 tests were ever done nor samples taken at Langata Hospital.
We were advised by KEMRI that each test would be done at a cost of Ksh 4,000/=. Langata Hospital charged a fee of Ksh 1,500/= for facilitation and enabling the transportation of patients to KEMRI, thereby bringing the fees charged to each patient to a total of Ksh 5,500/=. Payment for the testing services was then made to KEMRI by Langata Hospital, and KEMRI would issue an official receipt in the name of every individual patient. All tests were done by KEMRI, all results were valid and all the corresponding reports were certified by KEMRI. Langata Hospital would collect these results within 48 hours of testing and deliver them to the patients.
After some time, given the frequent nature of our referrals to KEMRI, our marketing team erroneously published a poster which may be construed to mean that there was a formal partnership between Langata Hospital and KEMRI. A withdrawal of the poster was ordered as soon as it was brought to the attention of the management. The poster was never intended to mislead the public in any way. It was only intended to assure our patients of the validity of the testing services they would receive through the hospital.
Langata Hospital was established as a medical centre in June 2005, providing outpatient medical care only. Through our efforts in providing quality and affordable medical services, we managed to grow quickly and eventually obtained the license to provide 24-hour out-patient and in-patient medical services. As an NHIF accredited facility, we have strived to upgrade the quality of services that we offer over the years, always seeking for our patients, attainment of the highest standards of medical care.
It is, and shall always be our mission to provide the very best medical services, at an affordable cost, to the residents of Langata and its environs.
Signed: The Management, Langata Hospital.
