This archive report was first published on 3 August 2019.
Published on August 3, 2019, a report highlighted the dire need for government intervention in Kenya's rising cancer cases.
Kenya's two major referral hospitals, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, are struggling to cope with the increasing number of cancer patients.
KNH is the only hospital that provides both radiotherapy and chemotherapy services, with an average of 15 new patients per day, or 60 patients per week, seeking treatment.
Due to the lack of resources dedicated to cancer in the country, patients are forced to travel to India for further treatment, incurring heavy expenses in medical tourism.
According to the National Cancer Institute, delayed diagnosis of cancer is one of the biggest concerns, with 70% of people dying from cancer due to late diagnosis.
Health experts are calling for the government to put effort into promoting early detection and faster referrals, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as training nurses and clinical officers at the county level to recognize signs of the killer disease.
