Litein Hospital
Kenya
Mission Organization
Africa Inland Mission (AIM)/Africa Inland Church (AIC)
Profile
Litein Hospital provides primary and specialist care to a catchment population of 800,000 people across six counties in the South Rift region of Kenya. The hospital has 220 beds and a 10-bed casualty. The community of about 450 medical and nonmedical staff is rich in spirit and passionate about providing quality healthcare. General Outpatient Services are administered by qualified specialists in order to meet the needs of the clients/patients and face the challenges of health care services on a 24/7 timeline. Approximately 400 patients are served every day. On average 600 patients are admitted every month. Bed occupancy is over 80 percent. The surgery department carries out close to 180 operations per month, 30 to 40 percent being minor operations. Ophthalmic surgery and orthopedic surgery including knee and hip replacements are also available. The hospital is a Medical and Clinical Officers’ Internship Centre and the associated Medical Training College trains nurses and a variety of medical technical specialists. The hospital sponsors a Family Medicine residency and a PAACS residency program which recently graduated the first two surgeons trained by an all Kenyan faculty.
Travel
Fly by commercial airline to Nairobi; drive approximately 5–6 hours to the hospital.
Time Difference
+7 hours daylight saving time; +8 hours Eastern Standard Time
Location
Litein Hospital is approximately 6,500 feet above sea level. It is about 270 kilometers from Nairobi and 40 kilometers from Kericho County headquarters.
People
The Kalenjin ethnolinguistic group live predominantly in Litein but other groups can be found in minority.
Language
Swahili and English are the official languages of Kenya although local tribal dialects are also spoken. Kipsigis and Kiswahili are the local languages of this region. All medical staff speak English fluently. Medical records are written in English.
Religion
The population is primarily Christian (Protestant and Catholic), although some of the more remote tribes practice animism and spirit worship. Muslims and Hindus comprise a smaller portion of the religious community.
Climate
There are two rainy seasons in March–June and October–December. June–August can be quite cool and December–March is typically dry and hot. There can be a lot of mud in the rainy seasons. June–August can be quite cool. December–March is the driest and hottest season.
Housing
Short-term medical personnel will be housed in one of a variety of guest houses in a compound a short walk from the hospital. Houses are completely furnished, including well-equipped kitchens, and groceries are readily available. Guests may also eat at the hospital restaurant which offers typical Kenyan food at very reasonable cost.
