This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki has announced a major step forward in the fight against cancer in Kenya. On Wednesday, she inaugurated the board of directors for the National Cancer Institute at her Afya House office in Nairobi, a move aimed at coordinating prevention and affordable management of cancer from the community level.
According to CS Kariuki, the Board will receive input from stakeholders on the best practices to reduce cases of cancer. This comes as Kenya continues to grapple with the rising number of cancer cases, with an estimated 47,887 new cases detected annually, and 32,987 people dying from the disease each year.
CS Kariuki also announced that Kenyans will now be able to access chemotherapy treatment in 7 county referral hospitals, with three more expected to start offering the service in September. The hospitals include Mombasa, Kisumu, Kakamega, Garissa, Nyeri, Nakuru, and Meru.
“Kenyans are now able to access chemotherapy in 7 county referral hospitals – Mombasa, Kisumu, Kakamega, Garissa, Nyeri, Nakuru & Meru,” CS Kariuki announced. “Three more hospitals namely: Embu, Bomet & Machakos are set to start offering chemotherapy services in September this year,” she added.
CS Kariuki noted that Kenya’s capacity to detect cancer has improved, with 47,887 new cases detected annually, and 3,200 among children below 18.
“Cancer & other Noncommunicable diseases are a threat to public health. Cardiovascular diseases are the second leading cause of death after infectious illnesses accounting for 13% of all deaths while cancer is the third leading cause of death contributing to 7% of deaths,” CS Kariuki said.
