On Saturday, May 28, 2022, Kenya's Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe secured a historic deal with the United Kingdom government to improve access to cancer treatment in the country.
The agreement aims to make screening, early diagnosis, and treatments like radiotherapy and nuclear medicine more widely available in Kenya. Increasing the number of cancer treatment specialists in the country will also be a priority.
As part of the deal, the first cohort of cancer treatment specialists will travel to Christie Hospital and the Manchester University in the UK for training.
According to Kagwe, cancer is among the leading causes of death in Kenya, with nearly 48,000 new cancer cases reported each year. He added that Kenya has invested heavily in health care reforms, including training, which culminated in the first curriculum conference held in February 2022, with representation from over 26 countries.
The deal comes just months after the government introduced an English Training program for Kenyan nurses seeking jobs in the UK. Kagwe explained that the government would train Kenyans seeking jobs overseas, with the aim of creating a workforce that is internationally recognised.
"It's a historic event as this is the first time ever that we, as the government, have undertaken a training of this kind whereby we are preparing our young people to train overseas," Kagwe stated.
