AAR Hospital, Kenya

AAR Hospital is one of a handful of secondary care large-scale private hospitals established in Nairobi since independence in 1963. A world-class facility with 140-bed capacity and numerous inpatient and outpatient services, the hospital is set to transform the landscape of private healthcare in the region.

HHI (Hospital Holding Investment Ltd) undertook to execute this development to be part of their subsidiaries, and to complement AAR Healthcare Group, their subsidiary running AAR outpatient medical centres across the country.

The location of the site is on the outskirts of the Nairobi CBD, some 8km from the capital. The construction involved creating a completely new structure on a greenfield site. Over 30 construction project teams across the consulting and contracting fields came together to deliver the project, which began in February 2019.

Healthcare: a crucial pillar of Kenya’s Big Four Agenda

As part of the Kenyan government’s Big Four Agenda to provide universal healthcare coverage, the expansion of the healthcare system has been earmarked as a key focus of the country’s development.

Subsequently, the private sector has responded to the government’s healthcare agenda, which focusses on providing primary healthcare for all. This has created an opportunity to fill the gap in secondary healthcare to complement the government’s agenda. HHI answered the call to contribute to this agenda and to bring quality secondary healthcare under one roof.

We were tasked to be the project monitors and the client’s representative on site. Our remit was to monitor the construction progress as well as report on the performance, activities and coordination exercises of the main contractor, subcontractors, and consultants.

This entailed providing recommendations to the client and the lead consultant to improve project outcomes. Our experience in the construction of health care facilities, as well as our deep understanding of the nuances that go into the coordination of stakeholders and suppliers, enabled the client to be well informed and meet all project challenges.

HHI was then able to make the best decisions during the construction phase to bring out the best outcomes for the project.

Meeting the challenges of COVID-19

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit during the construction phase, the urgency to complete the project rose significantly. Not only did the team need to deliver the project on time to serve the growing need of specialist medical services, but it also needed to do so with the unprecedented impact of labour shortages and reduced financial resources.

We not only supported HHI during the most critical time of the pandemic, but also our global footprint enabled the client to visit some of our projects across South Africa to benchmark the project to world-class standards.

Transforming healthcare in Kenya

HHI was committed to delivery of the project in line with IFC’s Green Building Standards, becoming the first EDGE-certified large-scale healthcare facility in the region. The team has implemented sustainable solutions, with recycled treated water irrigating the softscape, and solar PV panels generating power for lighting the facility and heating water.

With an unrivalled combination of experts in the local industry, of which our team was a part, HHI has delivered a facility that not only brings quality secondary healthcare to the people, but also ensures that it contributes to the development of the sector in line with the Kenyan government’s bold healthcare agenda.