Health

Equity Group’s health unit opens three new centres

EQUITYAFIA

A client being attended to at the newly opened Equity Afia Kitengela clinic. PHOTO | COURTESY

Equity Afia, the medical franchise of Equity Group Foundation (EGF) has opened three new medical centres in Kitengela, Ngong and along the Eastern Bypass as part of the firm’s expansion plans.

The three new health clinics brings Equity Afia’s footprint outreach in the country to 23.

Equity Afia now has a presence including nine centres in Nairobi County, six in Kiambu County, three centres in Kajiado County, Nyeri, Nakuru, Kakamega, Meru and Mombasa counties.

The new medical centres will serve as multi-speciality centres offering outpatient medical care services and providing ultra-modern laboratories and in-house pharmacies.

“Equity Afia has instituted a rollout plan of setting up and operationalizing more outpatient health facilities over the next few years. These will be distributed across the country to ensure presence and coverage in each county,” Equity said in statement.

The country has been experiencing an expansion of hospitals over a rising spend on healthcare by the country’s middle class as government hospitals grapple with congestion and frequent strikes.

As a result hospitals in the private sector are announcing expansion plans for instance Karen Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, Avenue Group, Coptic Hospital and AAR Health Services. The market has also seen increase in charitable trusts and private equity firms rise their investments with a view to promoting social welfare and earning returns.

Equity Group Foundation executive director Reuben Mbindu said the centres will deploy graduates of Equity Leaders Program — the bank’s led scholarship and internship initiative — who pursued medical courses and practiced medicine.