Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital has become the first healthcare institution in Kenya to receive a globally recognised accreditation for excellence in antimicrobial stewardship, marking a major milestone in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The hospital received the Global Antimicrobial Stewardship Accreditation (GAMSAS) from the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC), placing it among a select group of healthcare institutions worldwide recognised for promoting the responsible use of antibiotics and safeguarding the effectiveness of life-saving medicines.
Dr. Robert Nyarango, CEO of Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, noted that the accreditation is an indication of the hospital’s commitment to improving clinical outcomes and supporting Kenya’s national action plan on antimicrobial resistance.
“We are proud to be the first organisation in Kenya to achieve BSAC GAMSAS accreditation. It is a commitment to every patient who walks through our doors that we will use antibiotic medications responsibly, especially as antimicrobial resistance continues to threaten public health outcomes,” said Dr. Nyarango on Tuesday.
“We are grateful to the BSAC and all partners who made this accreditation possible, especially Pfizer, which provided a grant award to facilitate BSAC support. We urge other players in the industry, including patients, to stop overuse of antibiotics, which contributes to antimicrobial resistance.”
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, and fungi evolve to resist the drugs designed to treat them. A 2022 publication by The Lancet found AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths globally and associated with 4.95 million deaths in 2019. In Kenya, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that 28,500 deaths have been linked to AMR.
Dr. Joseph Mbuthia, a paediatric infectious disease consultant and Chairperson of the Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, said: “AMR is a growing public health concern in Kenya, posing a serious threat to human, animal, and environmental health. The achievement underscores the critical role healthcare institutions play in addressing antimicrobial resistance.”
In 2019, the hospital established a restricted list covering selected World Health Organization (WHO) Watch antibiotics, all WHO Reserve antibiotics, and certain antivirals and antifungals. Use of these medicines beyond a defined treatment period requires microbiological evidence or approval from an infectious disease specialist.
The hospital said compliance with antimicrobial stewardship practices improved from 66 per cent in 2020 to 94 per cent in 2025, while adherence to standard treatment guidelines rose from 50 per cent in 2022 to 86 per cent in 2025.
The milestone aligns with Kenya's National Action Plan on the Prevention and Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance, which seeks to strengthen surveillance, improve infection prevention and promote responsible use of antimicrobial medicines.