Four regional government owned specialised cancer service centres are being established to support the existing facilities and ease access of cancer services.
Health Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa says the public regional cancer facilities are being set up in Kisumu, Kakamega, Nyeri and Meru.
Speaking at the 8th edition of the Kenya International Cancer Conference in Kisumu, Dr. Barasa said establishment of the specialised regional cancer facilities is part of government efforts to ease pressure on the two national referral facilities comprising the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and the Kenyatta University Teaching, Research and Referral Hospital (KUTRH).
“Establishment of the services at the regional facilities is currently 70% complete. We expect that by mid next year, the facilities will be operational,” said the Health Cabinet Secretary.
Currently, there are three regional cancer centres located at former provisional hospitals in Mombasa, Nakuru and Garissa.
Dr. Barasa lauded the Kenya Society of Haematology and Oncology (KESHO) for organising the 8th edition of the Kenya International Cancer Conference that has attracted over 400 delegates drawn from 50 countries.
“This conference offers us an opportunity to celebrate our successes as well as reflect on the gaps and challenges we face in the fight against cancer,” she said.
The Health Cabinet Secretary was flanked by the National Cancer Institute, Chairperson, Timothy Olweny who challenged service providers to be sensitive to patients.
“Let us not make treatment more painful (expensive) than the disease. Let us be considerate and avoid scenarios where families deploy resources where there is no value. This is especially in cases where the cancer is very advanced,” said Olweny.