HOSPITALS · MATERNITY

Choosing a maternity hospital in Nairobi

Maternity care quality varies a lot between hospitals. It's not just the delivery itself, it's antenatal follow-up and newborn support afterward too. Here's what's actually worth checking before you commit.

Questions worth asking directly

Is a newborn/neonatal unit on-site, and what level of care can it provide if something unexpected happens?
Who actually delivers your baby, is it your specific doctor, or whoever is on shift?
What's the process if a normal delivery needs to become an emergency caesarean, is theatre on the same site?
What does postnatal follow-up look like for both mother and baby in the first weeks?
What's genuinely included in the package price, and what's billed separately?

Red flags worth taking seriously

Vague or reluctant answers about what happens if complications arise
No clear answer on who your actual delivering doctor will be
Pricing that's unclear about what counts as an "extra" cost

A practical way to decide

Visit in person if you can, ask the questions above directly to hospital staff (not just a call centre), and talk to a few recent mothers in your specific area for a firsthand account. Facilities and staffing can change, so recent, local, first-hand experience is worth more than an old recommendation.

Verify before you need it, not during. Facilities and specialists change over time, confirm what matters to you directly with the hospital close to your due date, not months in advance.