The Aga Khan Maternal and Child Care Centre, Hyderabad

Established in 1989, the Aga Khan Maternal and Child Care Centre (AKMCCC), Hyderabad is part of the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS). The Centre is a 87-bed maternity facility offering quality, cost-effective and value added health care. Specialising in obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics, it is part of the AKHS international referral system with links to the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi .

Hospital services include:
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Paediatrics
• Triage services
• Diagnostic services
• Day care surgery services
• Vaccination
• Midwifery Training school

History
In 1956, the Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS,P) inaugurated its first Mother and Child Health Care Centre in Sultanabad. Two years later, the first maternity centre, the Aga Khan Maternity Home, Hyderabad, was established in Tilak Chari, Hyderabad.

The maternity home catered to high risk and complicated pregnancies with greater scope of services for qualitative obstetric and gynaecological care. After 22 years of maternity care services in Hyderabad, AKHSP began expanding. In 1989, His Highness the Aga Khan inaugurated the Aga Khan Maternal and Child Care and the Aga Khan Diagnostic Centre.

Milestones
1958	Aga Khan Maternity Home, Hyderabad established
1989	His Highness the Aga Khan, inaugurated the: • Maternal and Child Health Care Unit • Diagnostic Centre • Midwifery Training School
1990	Second Operating Theatre introduced
1995	Health Promotion Package introduced
1999	Adult Health Screening Programme introduced
	Induction of Surgical Services for Paediatrics and Women (other than Obstetrics)
2000	Initiation of Outreach Health Care Services in rural and urban areas
	Inauguration of Paediatrics Ward, Phototherapy, Minor Operation Theatre
	Induction of Cardiac Consultation and Exercise Tolerance Test (ETT) Services
	Introduction of Epidural Anaesthesia Services (painless deliveries)
2001	Training of RMO in Gynaecology /Obstetrics
2002	Training of RMO in Paediatrics Services
2003	Opening of Triage Services
	Social Franchising with Green Star Social Marketing Pakistan for Family Planning Services
2004	ISO 9001-2000 quality Management System Certification
2005	Day Care Surgeries

Nurse who cries and rejoices with the babies

Mary Mathenge, a nurse at the neonatal ICU at Aga Khan University Hospital, exudes confidence while at her workstation.

There is a hint of tranquillity along the corridor and inside the neonatal intensive care unit. An infant lies in an incubator as the two nurses present regularly attend to it.

Taking care of newborns is something Mary Mathenge, one of the nurses at the neonatal ICU at Aga Khan University Hospital, holds dear to her heart. She says she is more comfortable in the company of babies than adults.

“This is where babies are helped to relieve stress,” says Mrs Mathenge, clad in a green surgeon’s outfit.

For the past 20 years, she has cried and rejoiced with babies – and mothers as well.

The Aga Khan University Hospital is one of the two infirmaries in Africa which have neonatal ICU. Not much has been heard about such facility but Mrs Mathenge, led Lifestyle into having an inside feel.

Though she occasionally goes to the theatre to assist in delivery, most of the time she would be receiving babies after delivery and taking care of them. She has lost count of the number of babies who have gone though her hands but roughly puts the figure at 48,000.

Always happy

“Babies are the best you can deal with. I have that compassion and I am always happy at the end of the day that I have made a baby comfortable. I don’t do this just as a job and go home. I have an attachment to babies,” says Mrs Mathenge.

Babies too, she says, can get stress even on the first day and it is important to take good care of them.

And when you find her in the ICU room – even without any other nurse around – she would be talking to the baby as if she were speaking to an adult. From birth, she says, you are supposed to talk to the baby.

“When a baby is crying, it is just because of discomfort. You have to touch it. Babies get a lot of stress,” she says. “When you hold them, just touch them on the forehead. It helps in releasing anti-stress hormones and, when it is produced, they relax,” says Mrs Mathenge, adding that babies too respond to their names.

For babies who have not yet been named, she calls them by their mother’s names.

Start talking

When babies are small, she says, one must start talking to them because they learn to associate sounds. Even during pregnancy, mothers are encouraged to talk to their unborn babies by regularly touching the tummies.

As a young girl, Mathenge hardly contemplated working anywhere near a maternity ward.

Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi graduates 180 students

January 21, 2009

More than 180 students earned degrees in nursing and medicine Wednesday, when the Aga Khan University (AKU) held its fifth graduation ceremony in Nairobi.

University president Firoz Rasul, urged the group to give back to their home communities.

“Make an impact wherever you go, an impact that is reflective of the personal development, good friends and intellectual growth you gained at AKU.”

The chief guest, Mr Joseph Massaquoi of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), delivered a similar message. He asked the new graduates to remain in East Africa, calling the movement of health workers to developed countries a disappointing trend.

85 registered nurses received Bachelor of Science degrees, while 94 received special diplomas in either community health or emergency care.

They were all trained as part of AKU’s Advanced Nursing Studies Programme, which aims to improve the overall quality of nursing in East Africa.

The Aga Khan University - Karachi, Pakistan Hospital & Medical College

Located on 64 acres donated by the Government of Pakistan, the Aga Khan University was conceived in 1970 to address a shortage of trained medical personnel and to improve healthcare delivery throughout Pakistan. The complex incorporates state-of-the-art educational and medical technology, while demonstrating that a modern architectural solution should preserve the spirit of the culture. The initial campus, completed in 1985, provided approximately one million square feet of space for hospital, academic, and housing functions. In 1999, Payette revised and updated the master plan for a series of building and renovation projects over the next decade to include an ambulatory care building, a cardiac services building, expansion to the existing surgical suite, the women’s residences complex, an oncology building, and a clinical laboratory, and sports facilities.

The Aga Khan Hospital for Women and Children, Kharadar

The Aga Khan Hospital for Women and Children, Kharadar
was established on 15 April 1924 as a Maternity Home with the support of His Highness Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III and the philanthropic efforts of Vazir Bundeh Ali Kassim. The Maternity Home was originally named the Janbai Maternity Home after the mother of the founder, Mrs. Jan Bai Kassim.

With the introduction of an advanced general surgery unit for women, the maternity home now functions as a full-fledged hospital for women and children and has been renamed as the Aga Khan Hospital for Women and Children, Kharadar.

20th Aga Khan University Hospital convocation

November 18, 2007

74 nurses, 79 doctors graduate

Daily Times Pakistan

KARACHI: A school of finance should be set up at the Aga Khan University Hospital’s new faculty of Arts and Sciences, said State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Shamshad Akhter as the chief guest of the 20th convocation for 79 doctors and 74 nurses.

The chairman of the AKU board of trustees, Saidullah Khan Dehlavi, conferred the bachelor and post-graduate degrees to graduates registered with the MBBS, Nursing and Teachers Training programmes.

The 79 young doctors hail from different parts of the country including Malakand Agency, Abbotabad, Kohat, Jaranwala, Hyderabad, Gujrat, Thatta, Bahawal Nagar, Swat, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Rahimyar Khan and also from Malaysia.

This summer, the Aga Khan announced the founding of a new Faculty of Arts and Sciences in Arusha, Tanzania along with a second Faculty of Health Sciences in Nairobi, Kenya. This comes on the heels of the establishment of a Faculty of Arts and Sciences campus here in Pakistan, the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London, and another the Institute for Educational Development in Dar-es-Salaam. AKUH also continue to provide technical assistance in Afghanistan in nursing and to the French Medical Institute for Children in Kabul as well as for nursing education programmes in Syria and Egypt.

Daily Times Pakistan

Dr Akhtar mentioned that the Aga Khan Foundation recently acquired the second largest bank of the country i.e. Habib Bank Ltd. The AKUH annually serves 500,000 patients and annually produces 277 graduates. It delivers services to poor and middle-income groups – over Rs 1.6 billion has been disbursed to 300,000 needy patients since its inception.

Dr Akhter praised AKU for receiving five major research grants for its Pediatric Department, totaling US$7.8 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization programme amongst others.

Dr Akhtar said that according to the Medium-Term Development Framework 2005-2010, the country was facing an estimated shortage of 30,000 doctors. “Presently 117,973 doctors are registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and 24,000 nurses with the Pakistan Nursing Council,” she said. “The current output of medical graduates both in public and private medical colleges is around 5,000 per year and almost 5,000 nurses and midwives are awarded the three-year diploma annually.”

Professor Camer Vellani was awarded the “Distinguished University Professor Award” and the “Award of Distinction” went to Professor Richard Pring. Dr. Hammad Durrani and Dr. Farina Abrejo received the “Distinction in Thesis Award” and Shehnaz Shamsuddin Gillani the “Best Performance in Professional Licensure Examination Award”. The “Award for Nursing Practice” went to Asmita Amir Ali Maknojia, “Award for General Proficiency” to Femida Gillani, “Distinction in Dissertation Awards to Anthony Maina Gioko, Josephine Ahinyi Nyangaga, Mahi Parveen, Shabnam Sohail Khan, and the “Distinction in Course Work Award” to Shairose Irfan Jessani. app/ppi

The Agha Khan University

Aga Khan University is a big name in Pakistani Education sector specially in Karachi. Aga Khan University is operating all over the world including United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania. AKU can be called a medical university because Its major programs are in medical and nursing. I never visited AKU but feel like sharing some information about this Institute as till now I have only reviewed institutes from Lahore mostly. This is not gonna be my regular format review but just a piece of information for my readers especially from Karachi.

I was telling about AKU, got charter in 1983 AKU is a private institute which is run by Prince Karim Aga Khan, A personality who is so much famous and a well-known all over the world. Lets come back to University, since its incorporation AKU is providing state of the art teaching and research facilities to its students. AKU has Medical Colleges, Nursing Schools, Institute of Educational Development and a examination board.

Aga Khan University School of Nursing was the first academic component of AKU which was established in 1980. Since its establishment AKU-SON and trained more then 2000 nurses who meet international standards and are serving the Nation well. The school offer several programs including a 3-year diploma programme and Pakistan's first ever 4 year BScN and 2 year post RN BScN and MScN programme.



With a state of the art campus loaded with latest equipment AKU is running a Medical college which was established in 1983 with offers of 5 year bachelors program of Medicine and Surgery. Back in 1996 Aga Khan University introduces a Masters programme in Epidemiology and Bio statistics. At this time college is providing PhD in Health Sciences with independent research facilities and latest technology.

Having a strong Medical background AKU established a Hospital back in 1985 named as Aga Khan University Hospital. This is a non profit hospital which provide financial assistance to the its patients but for me this is a kind of experimental house for AKU's nursing and medical students as they can give practical practice to their students.

After gaining success in Medical field AKU jumps into the Development of Education by establishing Institute of Educational Development in 1990. This institute is started with an aim to promote educational system in Pakistan as well as in other under-developed countries of world. Institute offer both professional and non professional programmes including PhD and Masters programme.

Aga Khan Board remains in headlines for a long time for its conflicted courses and other unknown aspects but now it is operating both in Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary Certificate.

Another Institute of AKU is Institute of Study of Muslim Civilization but I am not mentioning it here because it only operates in UK. And here in this post I am only summarizing campuses located in Karachi and Hunza.

Roshan Announces Expansion of Afghanistan’s First Telemedicine Project to Bamyan Region

Roshan, Cisco, the Government of Afghanistan, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, the French Medical Institute for Children, Aga Khan Health Services and the Bamyan Provincial Hospital Team up to Expand Healthcare Access by Linking Afghan Hospitals to International Medical Institutions

KABUL and BAMYAN, Afghanistan, June 1 /PRNewswire/ – Roshan, the leading telecom operator in Afghanistan, today announced the expansion of its first-of-its-kind Telemedicine solution in Afghanistan beyond Kabul to include provincial hospitals. Bamyan Provincial Hospital will be the first provincial medical facility linked to the innovative Telemedicine project, which uses broadband technology, wireless video conferencing and digital image transfer, to provide hospitals in Afghanistan with real-time access to specialist healthcare diagnosis, treatment and training expertise from abroad. Roshan has teamed with Cisco, the Government of Afghanistan, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi (AKUH), French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC), Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), Bamyan Provincial Hospital (BPH) and other technology suppliers to undertake the project. Launched in 2007, the project already links FMIC in Kabul, Afghanistan to AKUH in Karachi, Pakistan, enabling access to a broad array of radiology expertise provided by AKUH. The second phase links BPH to the FMIC, which is being developed as an Afghan center of medical excellence. To date, more than 340 patients have benefitted from Telemedicine and more than 231 Afghan medical personnel have participated in diagnostic and training opportunities facilitated by the technology.

Telemedicine links will be extended to other provincial hospitals and eventually to medical institutions in Europe and North America. The Telemedicine project developed in Afghanistan is also seen as a model for addressing healthcare delivery shortcomings in other developing countries where access to medical diagnosis, treatment and training is limited. “After the launch and initial success of Telemedicine in Kabul, we are delighted to begin extending Telemedicine links to provincial hospitals in Afghanistan, where the need for access to quality specialist diagnosis and training is even greater,” said Karim Khoja, Chief Executive Officer of Roshan. “Telemedicine further demonstrates the power of wireless technology to improve people’s lives and expand the healthcare resources available to the people of Afghanistan.”

Since 2002, the Aga Khan University has been working with the Government of Afghanistan and donor agencies to strengthen human resource capacity in nursing, medicine and teacher education in Afghanistan. “The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi has been responsible for the management of FMIC that provides high quality health care to the children of Afghanistan. We are proud to work with partners such as Roshan and CISCO to expand telemedicine in Afghanistan that broadens access to high quality health care to those in isolated communities,” said Al-Karim Haji, Director General and Chief Financial Officer of AKU. The Bamyan region in Afghanistan has some of the highest levels of maternal and child mortality in Afghanistan. For every 22,500 births, there are 382 maternal deaths and 3,937 infant deaths. The Bamyan Provincial Hospital was originally established in 2001 and in 2004, the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) assumed management as part of its wider endeavor to improve the living conditions and quality of life for the people of Bamyan. The hospital has since grown from 30 beds to its present capacity of 74 beds. There are an estimated 514,698 people served by the hospital on an annual basis.

Dr. Semira Manaseki-Holland, Regional Chief Executive Officer, AKHS, Central Asia, said, “The extension of the Telemedicine solution to the Bamyan Provincial Hospital is a major step in advancing our healthcare capabilities and access to top-quality specialists. Already, almost 100 patients in our care have benefited from Telemedicine.” His Excellency Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan added, “Our Government is striving to improve the quality of life of our people and providing quality health care is one of our top priorities. This innovative use of technology and telecommunications to enhance healthcare delivery will support our efforts to meet the nation’s other development challenges.” Telemedicine involves the use of broadband technology that provides real-time high speed access for the transfer of medical imaging, video, data and voice. Applications include the ability to send real-time X-ray, ultrasound and CAT Scans (Computerized Axial Tomography) for evaluation. The technology also enables e-learning and learning through video conferencing.

The initial service provided is teleradiology, the electronic transmission of radiological patient images. There are currently an average of 40 teleradiology cases evaluated monthly between FMIC and AKUH and ongoing training provided to medical professionals to build capacity. Telemedicine capabilities will gradually be expanded to other rural regions of Afghanistan, to include the use of smart-phone and PDAs, and to address different services and procedures including evaluation of tissue samples and the on-line performance of medical and surgical procedures. Roshan has spearheaded development of the Telemedicine project from initial conceptualization through implementation through its Corporate Social Responsibility arm and is part of its ongoing commitment to serving as a catalyst for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Over the next three to five years, Roshan will invest $1.5 million in the Telemedicine project. Roshan is part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), which is one of nine Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies that address a wide spectrum of development challenges. Regarding the Telemedicine project, Aly Mawji, Resident Representative for AKDN, said, “The inauguration of Telemedicine services between Bamyan and Kabul is an example of the exciting progress being made in Afghanistan, showing how new innovations are bringing tangible improvement to people’s lives. That this inauguration is happening at the same time as the opening of a new operating theatre block at the Bamyan Provincial Hospital and the beginning of the fourth session of the Bamyan community midwifery program bears testimony that progress is possible and is happening in Afghanistan in remote rural areas.”

Annual Events to East Africa

Past Events

• October 2007: Dr Murray Brennan delivers the 2nd Annual 2007 RJW Distinguished Lecture in Nairobi, Kenya
  
  The recently concluded trip to Kenya by Dr Murray Brennan on invitation by the Aga Khan and RJW Foundations was a success. The immediate former chair of The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York delivered Grand Rounds at the Aga Khan University Teaching Hospital in Nairobi on October 24th 2007. The Aga Khan Group has embarked on a multi million dollar endeavor to establish the first Comprehensive Cancer Center serving over 240 million people in East, Central and Southern Africa and drew on Dr Brennan’s experience as surgeon, administrator and teacher.
  
  His talk, the second annual RJW Distinguished lecture entitled, "Why a Cancer Center?" highlighted the predicted disproportionate increase in the oncologic burden of disease predicted for the developing world as compared to that in industrialized countries emphasizing the need to mitigate the predicted increase in cancer mortality forecasted for sub Saharan Africa over the next two decades. Dr Brennan pledged his commitment in assisting in the search for educational opportunities for Kenyan surgeons seeking one or two years of further training but with a view to returning to work within the Kenyan Health System. Dr Brennan was accompanied by his host and RJW Founder Dr Awori Hayanga, University of Michigan's Dr Vincent Cimmino and Dr Allan Pickens. The team participated in a two day series of multidisciplinary meetings with Asmita Gillani, the Aga Khan Group CEO, Professor Asad Raja, Aga Khan Chair of Surgery , The Vice Deans of Graduate Education, Residents and Faculty.
  
  
  
  
  
  Dr. Murray Brennan accompanied by his host and RJW Founder Dr. Awori Hayanga and University of Michigan's Dr. Vincent Cimmino and Dr. Allan Pickens pose for photos with Prof Asad Raja, The Chair of Surgery, Aga Khan Teaching Hospital together with the current Surgical Chief Resident at the Aga Khan University Teaching Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.
• August 2007: Dr. Meghan Arnold, a fourth year surgical resident, becomes the first resident from Hopkins to travel to Nairobi for an 8 week chief resident rotation at the University of Nairobi and Aga Khan University Teaching Hospital.
• July 2007: RJW foundation and The JB Grant International Society of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health host Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services at Hopkins.
  
  RJW Director Dr Thomas Keane, Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan, RJW Advisor and Vice President JB Grant International Society, Katherine Westphal and RJW Founder and Class Assembly Representative of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Dr Awori J Hayanga, pose for a Picture before the Deputy Secretary's Lecture at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
  
  

• June 2007 RJW foundation hosts Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services at New York Hospitals.
  
  The Acting Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Serivces, Eric Hargan, accepted an invitation from the RJW Foundation to engage in a dialogue with health care providers at several New York City hospitals.
  Mr. Hargan met with the CEOs and senior leadership of three hospitals, and delivered speeches on the topic, "Improving Health Care by Empowering Consumers."
  
  The hosting hospitals included Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cornell University Hospital, and Columbia University Hospital. On hand for the visit were Thomas Keane, MD, an RJW Foundation director, and Murray Brennan, MD, the 2007 RJW Visiting Professor. Officials from the hospitals and deputy secretary's office described the visit as "productive and informative." Dr Keane, director of the RJW foundation, was on hand to introduce him.

The Aga Khan Hospital for Women, Garden

Frequent questions
Does the Aga Khan University Hospital offer special discounts to the referred patients from the Aga Khan Hospital for Women & Aga Khan Diagnostic and Day Surgery Centre, Garden?
No. Discount may be offered at the sole discretion by Financial Counsellors of the Aga Khan University Hospital, after need analysis has been carried out.

What are the differences between Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan (AKHS, P) and the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) services?
Aga Khan University (AKUH) is a tertiary care hospital while Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS, P) offers primary and secondary health care facilities to patients. The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) has 24 hours services, state of the art technology, while Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan (AKHS, P) offers secondary care to a limited extent, intensive and coronary care units are not available at Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS, P).

Why don’t the Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan (AKHSP) units have any tertiary care facilities?
Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan (AKHS, P) is producing health care at primary and secondary level and at present tertiary care is not in our scope in presence of the AKUH.

Why the units refer the patient only to Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) for tertiary care? Specify the reason why not to any other hospitals?
Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) is a sister institution fully equipped with latest technology and competed medical and paramedical staff to deliver standard health care to the patients and recognised world wide. Hence all referrals are made to the AKUH for the betterment of the patients.

Do you prefer Ismaili Community for recruitment and do they get special care and treatment from the units?
Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS,P) believes in serving the under privileged population, irrespective of caste, creed, religion and colour. It is an equal opportunity employer with doors open to all the communities with required qualification and competency. All patients get the same care and treatment with no distinction to one another.

Is the welfare policy applied to all casts?
Welfare cases are treated on a case by case basis. Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS, P) does not deny delivery of healthcare due to financial limitations.

Is your organisation charity based?
Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS, P) is a non profit organisation and has a mission statement of providing healthcare to lower middle class through its network from rural to far-flung and remote areas of Pakistan. Its not a charity based organisation but donations are always welcome.

Why are the rates higher as compared to other hospitals around?
Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS, P) believes in high quality health care through competent and skilled staff hence our clients prefer the services and slight high rates are never taken in to account.

Are your doctors also engaged at AKUH?
To keep them updated our Physicians liaise with the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) for professional training.

Why are children less than 12 years of age not allowed to visit the patient in the ward?
Less than 12 year of age, Children are not allowed in the unit with patients in the ward to protect them from hospital acquired infections. They are not used to the hospital environment and may disturb the patients. Patient may not have a positive psychological effect on both child and patient.

How can you say that units are working at no loss no profit basis?
Whatever profit is generated at Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan (AKHS, P) hospitals is spent for the betterment of impoverished communities in remote areas of Pakistan e.g. Northern areas and Chitral.

Where do you get funds for patent’s welfare?
Funds for patient welfare are collected from donations and Zakat.

Do most patients know the welfare policy?
The welfare policy exists on need basis regardless of the ethnicity of the customer. It is the governance decision who has authority to set the criteria and assess the patient and consider according to the limitation.

Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi

Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, (AKUH,K) started operations in 1985, as an integrated, health care delivery component of Aga Khan University (AKU). It is a philanthropic, not-for-profit, private teaching institution committed to providing the best possible option for diagnosis of disease and team management of patient care. AKUH's multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and care ensures a continuum of safe and high-quality care for patients – all services under one roof.

The Princess Zahra Pavilion

The Princess Zahra Pavilion at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH,N) offers quality health care in an ambience of elegance and comfort. It offers modern rooms, a fully automated clinical laboratory and a blood donor unit.

Private Rooms

The Princess Zahra Pavilion has 61 comfortably furnished private rooms, all fitted with advanced nurse call and monitoring systems, centralised air conditioning and ventilation, telephones and satellite TV, shower, couch and fridge. The decor and furnishings are elegant and modern, appealing to the exacting patient in search of high quality medical care.

Three types of rooms are available: standard, VIP and the executive suite. The six executive suites are served by a private elevator. Each suite has an additional lounge for the comfort and convenience of the patient and his/her visitors.

En suite rooms overlook the evergreen garden and its fountain. Additional services listed below are designed to enhance the comfort and convenience of the rooms:

• Adjustable special lockers (for eating, reading or writing);
• Shaving and grooming mirrors;
• Electrical bed with adjustable side-rails for patient safety;
• A personal call bell system to communicate with the nursing station;
• Emergency nurse call button in the washroom to ensure prompt assistance;
• Colour television with multiple channels;
• Telephone;
• Refrigerator (Stocked with soft drinks and snacks on request);
• Flower vases provided on request.

Catering

Patients are provided with a fresh menu, daily. To aid in the recovery process, food is catered according to an individual patients’ medical and nutritional needs. Fresh fruit and juice is provided free.

Common Patients’ Lounge

Located at the end of the west wing hallway, patients can relax, read newspapers, magazines and socialise with other patients in the common lounge.

Visitors’ Lounge

The visitors lounge is located opposite the reception on every floor.

Maternity Services

AKUH,N maternity services are accredited by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, United Kingdom. Qualified nurses, midwives and a team of resident doctors under the stewardship of senior obstetrics and gynaecology consultants provide quality care at affordable prices, offering mothers-to-be a comfortable environment from ante-natal to post-natal stage of pregnancy.

Labour Deliver and Recovery Services (LDR)

LDR unit, first of its kind in East Africa, was established at the requests from new mothers for additional privacy, comfort and choice. The LDR unit which is located in Princess Zahra’s Pavilion not only consolidates the process of labour, delivery and recovery process in one room, saving mothers the inconvenience of being moved from room to room at various stages of labour, it also offers an opportunity for mothers to deliver in an environment in which they feel nurtured and comfortable and their privacy and preferences are respected.

The LDR concept encourages natural childbirth and allows the mother the option of remaining with family members and friends. The concept is enhanced by the use of a special bed that allows the mother to deliver in any position of her choice in a state-of-the-art room. There is round the clock monitoring of the mother during the birthing process by an Obstetrician and mid-wives. A Neonatalogist and Neonatal nurses are also available for the baby.

Lamaze (Birth preparation classes)

Lamaze is a method of childbirth preparation based on proven scientific methods to provide a positive experience for the expectant mother. Recognised internationally, the programme is a popular method of childbirth education and preparation. Couples are encouraged to attend the six week programme which includes exercises, relaxation and breathing techniques, labour and delivery experience, nutrition, sexuality and coping skills for the postpartum period.

Maternity Ward

The ward has a bed capacity of 25. It has state-of-the-art delivery rooms with piped oxygen, neonatal resuscitation units, comfortable delivery couches and electronic external foetal monitoring devices. The ward has 12 ward beds eight semi private rooms, three private rooms with television and telephone facilities and two private rooms specifically for monitoring high risk expectant mothers.

Nursery

The Nursery can accommodate 30 newborn babies with facilities for critical care of premature babies. It has incubators, ventilators, cardiac monitors and neonatal resuscitation units.

The Princess Zahra Pavilion Nursery

The Pavilion has a modern nursery with facilities for critical care of premature babies. It has incubators, ventilators, cardiac monitors and neo-natal resuscitation units.

Executive Business Centre

Patients at the Princess Zahra Pavilion have access to the Executive Business Centre. The Centre offers secretarial, fax, Internet, email and photo copying services at nominal fees.

Executive Clinic

The Executive Clinic is for patients who require privacy, confidentiality, efficient and quality service in a comfortable environment. The clinic offers patients a highly personalised and comprehensive medical check up by a panel of consultant physicians of various specialties.

Women's Services Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi

Maternity Services

Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH,N), Maternity Services is accredited by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, United Kingdom. The service provides quality care at an affordable price, offering would-be mothers a comfortable environment through each stage of their pregnancy: ante-natal, delivery and post-natal.

Qualified nurses and midwives, a team of resident doctors under the stewardship of senior obstetrics and gynaecology consultants cater to both the mother and child’s needs.

Labour Deliver and Recovery Services (LDR)

LDR consolidates the process of Labour, Delivery and Recovery process in one room saving mothers the inconvenience of being moved from room to room at various stages of labour. The unit offers an opportunity for mothers to deliver in an environment in which they feel nurtured, comfortable and their privacy and preferences respected. The first of its kind in East Africa, and located at the prestigious Princess Zahra Pavilion, the unit is the answer to many expressed needs of women in maternity care; privacy, comfort, and choice. This addresses the psycho-social needs of the family.

The LDR concept encourages natural childbirth and allows the mother the option of remaining with family members and friends. The concept is enhanced by the use of a special bed, which allows the mother to deliver in any position of her choice in a state-of-the-art room. There is round the clock monitoring of the mother during the birthing process by an Obstetrician and mid-wives. A Neonatalogist and Neonatal nurses are available for the baby.

Lamaze (Birth preparation classes)

Lamaze is a method of childbirth preparation based on proven scientific methods to provide a positive experience for the expectant mother. Recognised internationally, the programme is a popular method of childbirth education and preparation. Couples are encouraged to attend the six week programme which includes exercises, relaxation and breathing techniques, labour and delivery experience, nutrition, sexuality and coping skills for the postpartum period.

Maternity Ward

The ward has a bed capacity of 25. It has state-of-the-art delivery rooms with piped oxygen, neo-natal resuscitation units, comfortable delivery couches and electronic external foetal monitoring devices. The ward has:

• 12 ward beds;
• 8 semi-private rooms;
• 3 private rooms with television and telephone facilities;
• 2 private rooms specifically for monitoring high risk expectant mothers.

Nursery

The Nursery can accommodate 30 newborn babies with facilities for critical care of premature babies. It has incubators, ventilators, cardiac monitors and neonatal resuscitation units.

Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi

Established in 1958, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH,N) is a private, not-for-profit institution that provides tertiary and secondary level health care services. The decision to upgrade the Hospital to a tertiary level teaching hospital was taken in order to respond to the health care needs of the people of East Africa. AKUH,N is a premier provider of ambulatory care and quality in patient services, including critical care. The Hospital plans to strengthen existing partnerships with the Ministry of Health and other universities offering health education, with an aim to share experiences, strengthen public sector delivery systems and collaborate on teaching and research.

Aga Khan Hospitals

Aga Khan University Hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan and Nairobi, Kenya are philanthropic, not-for-profit, private institutions providing high quality health care. Meeting the highest internationally recognised quality standards in health care, the Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya holds ISO 9001:2000 certification and the Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan holds ISO 9001:2008 certification. The Hospital in Karachi has also been awarded the prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and internationally trained health care professionals, the Hospitals also serve as the principal site for clinical training for the University's Medical College and School of Nursing in Pakistan and East Africa. Indigent patients who visit the Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan can receive financial assistance from the Patient Welfare Programme and zakat assistance from the Patients' Behbud Society.

Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan

Established in 1985 as the primary teaching site of the

Aga Khan University’s (AKU) Faculty of Health Sciences, Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) is committed to providing diagnosis of disease and team management of patient care. These services are backed up by the highest doctor-to-patient and nurse-to-patient ratios and support services. The Hospital’s multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and care ensures a continuum of safe and high quality care for patients - with all services under one roof.

A broad range of secondary and tertiary care is available in the 500-bed University Hospital to all patients in need. Those who are unable to pay for treatment receive generous assistance through a variety of subsidies and the Hospital Patient Welfare Programme.

In 2000, AKUH became the first teaching hospital in Pakistan to be completely ISO 9002 certified. It has since received IS0 9001 certification. The AKUH quality assurance programme serves as a model for other health institutions in the private and public sectors and in the Aga Khan Development Network.

The Aga Khan Hospitals are part of an international referral network providing primary, secondary and tertiary level care. Doctors need not be affiliated to the Aga Khan Hospitals to refer patients to its comprehensive healthcare network.