The Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi has opened its 54th Medical Centre along Rhapta Road in Westlands.
The facility aims to address what health experts are calling a silent epidemic cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and heart disease. These conditions, which are increasingly prevalent in Kenya, often progress quietly and are typically diagnosed too late.
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Kenya is currently undergoing a major health transition. While the country previously focused on combating infectious diseases, attention has now shifted to cardiometabolic conditions, which have emerged as a greater threat.
These lifestyle illnesses diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obesity progress quietly and often become apparent only when it’s too late.
This challenge is being met head-on by the newly opened RAPHTA Medical Centre, which has a mission to provide comprehensive care for these interrelated conditions in a one-stop solution.
Conditions like hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease are no longer rare or isolated. They often appear together, creating a chain reaction in the body.
According to the Kenya STEPwise Survey for Non-Communicable Diseases, over 27 percent of Kenyans aged 18 to 69 are hypertensive, while 2 percent live with diabetes often without knowing it. These diseases now account for more than a third of adult deaths in urban Kenya.
A leading specialist at the centre, Dr. Shabani, articulates this vision with passion. At RAPHTA Medical Centre, the solution is integration.
“This is an area in which we shall manage all cardiometabolic illnesses, truly a one-stop setting,” he explains. “There shall be no need to shift from one expert to another.”
A model of care that is continuous, coordinated and personalized
Dr. Shabani says the fight against these diseases begins way outside the clinic’s walls. His approach highlights how important daily discipline is, emphasizing lifestyle choices to keep these conditions from happening.
Rather than drowning patients in medical jargon, Dr. Shabani distills prevention into a rhythm the body can follow. His method? Let the numbers speak your habits: 0, 5, 10, 30 and 50.
Zero means no smoking, no alcohol. Add five: that’s your daily dose of four vegetables and one fruit. Carve out ten minutes to slow down, breathe, and be still. Keep your BMI below 30 not just for the scale, but for the heart. Then finally, move with at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week.
“Each number isn’t just a stat it’s a lifestyle checkpoint,” he says.
Dr. Shabani also tells Kenyans to add five daily things to their day: stepping, sweating, sleeping 6–8 hours, not sitting too long, and stretching.
At RAPHTA Medical Centre, it is more than just a conceptual belief it has taken shape as a reality. In that regard, the specialized team ensures that cardiometabolic care is no longer scattered, but structured, unified, and deeply personal.
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As the health landscape of Kenya undergoes transformation, strategies for addressing its most crucial issues must also be revamped.
This has led to optimism, with facilities such as RAPHTA Medical Centre leading the way and silent killers being chased out of their hiding places.
