Choosing where to do a medical placement in Africa is really a choice of hospital: whether it can host a placement in your medical specialty and whether patient volumes provide enough exposure. A 700-bed coastal referral centre and a 300-bed rural county hospital offer very different clinical experiences, even within the same country. This guide compares the six public hospitals where Elective Africa currently places medical, nursing, midwifery, dental, PA, and pre-health students in Kenya and Tanzania. It covers size, level of care, the cases each is known for, and what past students say, so you can match a hospital to your goals.
How placements work at every hospital
Each placement runs under a formal memorandum of understanding with the hospital. The agreement sets out supervision, what students may and may not do, timelines, and fees. We submit your rotation requests to the hospital two to four weeks before you arrive so departments can plan for your program. The US$350 deposit you pay to reserve your place is the hospital placement fee, and the clinicians who mentor you are paid a mentorship fee. Hosting students should strengthen a hospital, not strain it.
How to read Kenya's hospital "levels"
Kenyan facilities are graded by level, and the level tells you a lot about what you will see:
- Level 4: Sub-county hospitals. These are first referral points with general wards, maternity and outpatients, and lots of primary and community care.
- Level 5: County referral hospitals. Specialists, theaters, larger casualty departments, and patients referred in from across a county.
- Level 6: National and regional teaching and referral hospitals. The most complex cases, sub-specialties, and teaching programmes.
Tanzania uses a similar system. Its regional referral hospitals sit roughly where Kenya's Level 5 hospitals do.
The six hospitals at a glance
| Location | Hospital | Beds | Level | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mombasa, Kenya | Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital | 700 | Level 5 teaching and referral | Highest volume; broadest mix of specialties; emergency, maternity, surgery, dentistry |
| Mombasa, Kenya | Port Reitz Sub-County Hospital | 200+ | Level 4 | Maternal and child health, reproductive health, community outreach |
| Nairobi, Kenya | Mbagathi County Referral Hospital | 320 | Level 5 | Infectious disease (HIV, TB), maternity, urban public health |
| Kisumu, Kenya | Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital | 400 | Level 6 | Regional referral cases from western Kenya; urban and peri-urban mix |
| Migori, Kenya | Migori County Referral Hospital | 300 | Level 5 | Rural medicine, malaria, maternal and child health, community-based care |
| Arusha, Tanzania | Mt Meru Regional Referral Hospital | 450 | Regional referral | Broad medical, surgical and emergency caseload; Tanzanian health system |
Mombasa: Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital
Coast General began in 1908 as the Native Civil Hospital on Mombasa Island. It has grown into one of Kenya's largest public hospitals, serving a catchment of about three million people along the coast. Its casualty department sees around 100 patients a day, mostly road traffic injuries and assaults, and the dental unit around 200. The maternity unit handles 30–40 births a day. Burns, orthopaedics, ENT, psychiatry, oncology, and cardiothoracic services are all on the same site. That makes it the easiest place to split an elective across two or three specialties.
Lara spent her first week in maternity, her first time in a maternity unit, and her second in the emergency department. She reflected that her biggest lesson was learning how differently the team operates: different resources, routines, and ways of communicating with patients. Outside the hospital, students head to Diani Beach and the spice markets of Mombasa's Old Town. Alisa, a medical student from SUNY Upstate Medical University, called the programme "well-organised, safe and established" and recommended it "to anyone, especially those with some medical knowledge."
Choose Coast General if you want volume, variety and the most structured teaching (ward rounds and continuing medical education sessions).
Mombasa: Port Reitz Sub-County Hospital
Port Reitz is a smaller Level 4 hospital on the mainland side of Mombasa and the coast region’s specialist center for mental health. Psychiatry students see a wide variety of cases, and enough of them to learn from week after week. It also pairs well with Coast General for a comparative observership: two hospitals in the same city with very different sizes, patient volumes, staffing levels and resources.
Nairobi: Mbagathi County Referral Hospital
Mbagathi serves a catchment of over a million people in Kenya's capital. Infectious disease management is its strength: tuberculosis, HIV and the complications of both. It also has busy maternity and specialist clinics. Nairobi suits students who want to experience city life during their placement, and the Nairobi National Park and the Giraffe Centre are both easy weekend trips.
Kisumu: Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital
On the shore of Lake Victoria, Kisumu's teaching and referral hospital manages referral cases from across western Kenya. It treats a mix of urban and peri-urban patients. Kisumu is a good fit for students who want a large regional referral centre away from the busier coast and capital cities.
Migori: Migori County Referral Hospital
Migori, near the Tanzanian border, is our rural option. Malaria, maternal and child health, and community-based care dominate. Limited medical staff means students often get closer to the clinical work. Alexandria Dawe, a nurse from Australia, said she had "so much hands-on experience in the rural hospital of Migori" and did things she would never have had the chance to do at home. Read more about rural medicine in Migori.
Arusha: Mt Meru Regional Referral Hospital
Mt Meru is the referral hospital for Arusha's seven district councils, with a broad medical, surgical and emergency caseload. Amy Owen, from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, spent four weeks here. She called it "a great learning experience with a wide range of pathology" and spent weekends hiking and on coffee tours. Tanzania has even fewer doctors per head than Kenya: about 0.13 physicians per 1,000 people, against roughly 0.29 in Kenya (World Bank). That shapes how much responsibility nurses and clinical officers carry. Here is a little glimpse of life in Arusha.
One practical difference: students in Tanzania need a volunteer visa (about US$250), while Kenya's eTA costs about US$31. Our guide to Kenya's eTA and Tanzania's eVisa explains both.
How to choose the right elective
- First elective, or you want variety: Coast General, Mombasa.
- Infectious disease or urban public health: Mbagathi, Nairobi.
- Rural medicine and maternal health: Migori.
- A second country or health system: Mt Meru, Arusha.
- Primary and community care alongside a tertiary block: Port Reitz plus Coast General.
Not sure which fits your course requirements? Tell us your objectives when you apply and we will recommend a hospital. You can also read whether a medical elective in Kenya is safe and our list of the best places for an internship in Kenya.
FAQ
Which hospital is best for a surgical elective? Coast General in Mombasa. It runs general, orthopaedic, paediatric, maxillofacial and cardiothoracic surgery on one site, plus a busy casualty department where most surgical patients first arrive.
Can I split my placement between two hospitals? Yes. You can combine Coast General with Port Reitz in Mombasa, or a Kenyan hospital with Mt Meru in Tanzania. Allow at least two weeks per hospital so you have time to settle in.
Do I need to speak Swahili? No. English is widely spoken by hospital staff in both countries, and supervisors translate when needed. Swahili lessons, twice a week, are included in every programme and help with patients.
How do costs compare between Kenya and TZ? Prices for each destination are on our pricing page. Entry costs differ: about US$31 for a Kenya eTA against about US$250 for a Tanzanian volunteer visa.