Nairobi — Bliss Healthcare has appointed Denis Ogolla as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) to spearhead regional expansion.

Ogolla's appointment was announced by the firm's Board of Directors.

The COO position fell vacant after Gabriel Njue was promoted to the role of Chief Executive Officer.

The announcement comes at a time when the organization plans to expand into Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

"I am committed to its continued success through increased service delivery and expansion as we seek to ensure quality healthcare is both affordable and accessible all over the region," Ogolla said.

Ogolla boasts over 22 years of experience in healthcare management, strategic decision-making and financial discipline.

He is also an Adjunct Faculty and the Course Leader for the Managing Healthcare Businesses program at the Strathmore Business School, Institute of Healthcare Management.

Prior to joining Bliss, he served as Managing Director-Kenya for Evercare Group, an integrated healthcare delivery platform operating in Africa and South Asia.

He has also been the Group CEO and a Board Member of Avenue Group where he was responsible for leading the development and execution of long-term strategies for the Group.

The new COO holds a Master's degree in Public Health degree (MPH) from JKUAT, a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Nairobi.

Bliss Healthcare is currently Kenya's largest network of outpatient Medical Centres with 65 Centres spread across 37 counties.

It employs about 2000 staff both directly and indirectly serving about 1 million patients annually.

Its planned expansion aims at replicating its successful business model by setting up over 200 medical facilities in the region to serve over 5 million patients annually while providing employment to over 10,000 East Africans.