Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital is the only public (government institution)

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

. It has capacity for 1500 patients and is located near the slum area of Mathare district of

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

History

Mathari Hospital was founded in 1910 by the

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

authorities of

British Kenya British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. A smallpox isolation centre was redesigned and became the Nairobi Lunatic Asylum.The facilities were segregated with African patients, who constituted 95% of the patients, being kept in the worst conditions. They lived in very overcrowded ''bomas'', which were the traditional form of housing in Kenya. The facilities provided for Asians were somewhat better with the best conditions being reserved for Europeans. Up until independence all psychiatrists, senior doctors and nurses employed at the hospital were European. Mathari hospital is a specialized National Referral, Training and Research Public Institution in mental health in Kenya. It's located along west of Nairobi along Nairobi-Thika Road. Mathari hospital, which has a bed capacity of 1500(a third of which are reserved for females), is Kenya's premier psychiatric hospital, and is the national psychiatric teaching and referral hospital. The institution admits patients with severe psychiatric disorders who cannot afford private services and are considered too disturbed to be managed in other public facilities or in the community. Its catchment area is largely the Nairobi urban area where the facility is located, together with the close rural and urban environs to the city.

References

Psychiatric hospitals in Kenya Hospitals established in 1910 {{Kenya-struct-stub