Market News

Garden City hunts for investor to set up medical facility

chris

Chris Coulson, the Garden City CEO. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Commercial-cum-residential complex Garden City is seeking a hospital investor for development of a high-end healthcare facility.

Garden City managing director Chris Coulson said it has reserved land where the partner will determine the design, size, bed capacity for the facility to be built targeting high-end clients within the complex and from the surround area.

“As part of the Garden City Estate master-plan we allocated land for development of a world-class medical facility not only to serve the needs of our Garden City residents and new office community but for our wider community and customers as well,” he said.

Mr Coulson spoke in Nairobi when he received a Health Care Feasibility report by Open Capital Advisors that supports the project.

He noted that Thika Road has over 820,000 potential clients currently lacking medical services.

“There is an immediate opportunity for investment in a Tier-3 level private hospital with up to 200 beds, which could be easily upgraded to a 500-bed capacity on Thika Superhighway,” says the report.

Mr Coulson said land is available for a flagship medical facility on Thika Superhighway, to provide specialised medical services and treatment, serving as a primary hospital for over 800,000 people within a five to 10 km radius.

It would also serve as a secondary healthcare facility for another 1.3 million people in the surrounding areas.

Nairobi’s rising stature as a medical hub, said Mr Coulson, is underlined by a ready high-end clientele of multi-national staff working across East Africa requiring access to world-class medical services.

The report notes that rich Kenyans are likely to choose a private facility over a public medical facility with up to 45 percent willing to travel abroad for specialised treatment.

“There is a strong market for expansion and improved services in Kenya that can attract inbound medical tourism that currently accounts for approximately Sh3 billion ($30 million) annually,” it notes.