This archive report was first published on 28 August 2019.
On August 28, 2019, the Kenyan Ministry of Health announced plans to issue new cancer treatment guidelines aimed at improving diagnosis, treatment, and management of the disease.
The decision comes in response to instances where cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage due to misdiagnosis at the initial stage.
The new guidelines, set to be distributed to hospitals next month, will create a uniform way for medics to handle cancer patients, reducing unnecessary tests and procedures.
According to Mary Nyangasi, head of the National Cancer Programme at the Health Ministry, the guidelines have been informed by the different ways medics have handled the disease, with some methods not yielding the best outcome for patients.
“Sometimes it is not because patients present themselves late to facilities, but it is also because our healthcare workers do not know what to do with them, and they end up treating them for other ailments,” Nyangasi said.
She attributed this to the referral system, which she noted should be different when handling cancer patients.
“Referral for cancer should not be to the next level of care like from level three to level four hospital in the case of other diseases, but to the next facility where the particular needed service or specialist can be found,” Nyangasi explained.
Cancer is the third leading killer disease in Kenya, with 47,887 new cases reported in 2018 and 32,987 deaths, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Globocan data.
