Established in 1952, the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu is part of the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS). It is a 61-bed acute care facility managed by qualified professionals who include experienced, full-time resident doctors and consultants. The hospital's objectives are to provide high quality, cost-effective health care to the population of Western Kenya and neighbouring countries. The Hospital provides general medicine services, specialist clinics and high-tech diagnostic services and has a well-equipped 24-hour emergency Casualty Department. It is also part of the AKHS international referral system, with links to the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi and Karachi respectively. History On 26 February 1951, Prince Aly Khan laid the foundation for the Aga Khan Dispensary and Maternity Home. The home had an 8-bed general ward. In 1960, the dispensary was extended to incorporate two general wards with a total of 17 beds and an outpatient department. A small laboratory was established in 1975 and a portable X-ray machine purchased. Patient activity levels continued to increase. By 1979, the average bed occupancy was over 100 percent, which indicated a need for expansion. In 1991, the hospital had 55 beds, piped oxygen gas was available, an administration block was completed and physiotherapy services were introduced. By 1992, the bed capacity was increased to 76 with a paediatric ward, a VIP wing and an acute care unit. Presently the hospital offers services in the areas of Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Acute Care. It also provides 24-hour emergency / ambulatory services. This is further supported by basic to intermediate specialised investigations both in laboratory and radiology and a well-stocked pharmacy, all on a 24-hour basis. The Hospital has introduced haemodialysis, dental, ophthalmology, endoscopy, histopathology and imaging services, including image-guided non-vascular intervention, CT scans and Doppler ultrasounds. The significant strengthening of the diagnostic departments has been through the recruitment of expatriate consultants from India a radiologist and a pathologist. Aga Khan Health Services AKHS has facilities in Kenya and Tanzania that provide care to over 600,000 patients annually in both rural and urban, and preventive and curative contexts. Its hospitals provide an increasingly comprehensive range of high-quality clinical services. Healthcare Activities of the Aga Khan Development Network AKHS activities are conducted in concert with other health-related activities of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The overall aim is to raise the health status of people in East Africa and elsewhere in the developing world. In current projects, emphasis is on strengthening health systems development. The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), with branches in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, works with a variety of grantees, including AKHS, to improve the health of vulnerable population groups, especially mothers and children, and promote health services development on the national and regional levels. AKF and AKHS have been joined in their work in health care in East Africa by the Aga Khan University's Faculty of Health Sciences, which offers accredited professional training, especially for nurses and doctors, and conducts a variety of research programmes focused on the health problems of developing nations. The AKDN aims to assist countries in the building of effective, sustainable health systems linking different kinds of services and levels of care. For more information, please visit the AKDN website.