Kenyatta National Hospital
The Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest hospital in Kenya. It is a public, tertiary, referral hospital for the Ministry of Health. It is also the teaching hospital of the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences. It is the largest hospital in the country and East Africa as well. Location. The hospital is located in the area to the immediate west of Upper Hill in Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya. Its location is about west of the city's central business district. The hospital complex measures . Overview. KNH was founded as the Native  Civil hospital, in 1901 with a bed capacity of 40. In 1952 it was renamed the "King George VI Hospital", after King George VI of the United Kingdom. At that time the settler community was served by the nearby "European Hospital" (now Nairobi Hospital). The facility was renamed Kenyatta National Hospital, after Jomo Kenyatta, following independence from the British. It is currently the largest referral and teaching hospital in the country. Kenyatta National Hospital employs over 6,000 staff and has a bed capacity if 1,800. However, due to congestion, the patient numbers can rise as high as 3,000. Administration. The  hospital is administered by a 10-person board of directors, chaired by George Ooko, a non-physician, non-executive board member. The chief executive officer is Dr Evanson Kamuri. The principal of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Nairobi and representatives from the Ministry of Finance and from the Ministry of Health, also sit on the board. It is the policy of the hospital that those who do not pay their bills are not allowed to leave and may be prevented from doing so by armed guards. This policy is illegal. It also serves as a teaching  hospital of the Kenya Medical Training College, Nairobi campus among many other institutions that are affiliated to the facility due to its advanced specialisation in medical services in the country and beyond.. KNH serves as the teaching hospital of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Nairobi.