A doctor who founded a private hospital in Bungoma at 29 has been quietly covering treatment costs and transport fares for patients who arrive with empty pockets, drawing attention for an approach that places compassion alongside clinical care.
Dr Omweri Ombonye, founder of Hopkins Crescent Hospitals, says his facility has on several occasions treated patients free of charge and, in some instances, arranged for them to get home afterwards when they had no money for transport.
When a Patient Has No Money
For Dr Ombonye, the decision to help such patients is not an afterthought. He trained at Kenyatta University School of Medicine and completed his internship at Machakos Level 5 Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital, experiences that gave him a close look at the barriers patients face when seeking care.
“We have treated patients without money, and sometimes even facilitated them to go back home. Those decisions can only be made when you have autonomy,” he said.
That philosophy extends to how he hires staff. He insists that every employee, regardless of their role, must demonstrate genuine empathy before joining the team.
“Before I recruit anyone, even the lowest cadre, the attitude must be right. Empathy is not optional,” he said.
From 5 Patients a Day to Over 200
Hopkins Crescent Hospitals opened in September 2020, a period when the COVID-19 pandemic was squeezing businesses and households across Kenya.
“There were days we saw five patients. Sometimes even less,” he recalled, adding that he started in rented premises with a trickle of patients and very limited funding.
He and his wife, Dr Wachera Ombonye, funded the hospital’s early growth through their own savings from medical practice, reinvesting earnings into staff, systems and equipment rather than drawing out profits.
The effort has paid off. The hospital reportedly now serves more than 200 patients daily and was accredited as a Level 4 facility in 2022, just two years after opening. It reportedly employs more than 120 permanent staff and works with over 70 visiting consultants.
A Bigger Ambition
Now 34, Dr Ombonye is setting his sights even higher. He is pursuing plans to establish a Level 6 hospital, the highest tier in Kenya’s health system, placing it alongside institutions such as Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
He says he hopes to achieve this without bringing in an outside equity investor.
For patients who have left his hospital with their bills cleared and a way home arranged, those choices capture something of what he says medicine should look like.
