On May 30, 2022, the Council of Governors condemned the theft of cancer drugs at Kenyatta National Teaching and Referral Hospital (KNH) and called upon the Ministry of Health to establish systems to curb the theft of drugs in hospitals.
The county bosses want the ministry to enhance systems to enable end-to-end visibility of the use of drugs in the hospital, improve supply chain infrastructure and information systems, and ensure there is no conflict of interest of those who manage the cancer unit at KNH and private facilities.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the inhumane actions that negate the ongoing reform initiatives by both National and County Governments to make access to essential medicines and medical supplies a right for all Kenyans at all times,” stated the governors.
They added that it is urgent to invest heavily on development of human resources at KNH, especially cancer specialists equipped with the most modern tools for diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Earlier this week, six employees at KNH were charged with conspiring to steal cancer drugs worth Ksh 9.3 million on diverse dates. The six, Emily Kagochi, Phillip Owino, Mary Wanjiru, Yvonne Mbuthia, Rose Chepkok, and Maureen Onyor, denied the charges and were freed on a Ksh 1 million bond or an alternative cash bail of Ksh 500,000.
Cancers account for the third largest cause of death in Kenya, after infectious and cardiovascular diseases. Every year, an estimated 42,116 new cases of cancer are reported, with the number of cancer deaths estimated at 27,092 annually, as documented in the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) GLOBOCAN report for 2020.
