A medic in Murang’a county has raised concerns over reluctance by men in the country to go for breast cancer screening.
Gatanga subcounty health officer Dr Florence Kagoini said most men are unaware and/or believe that breast cancer only affects women.
She said even though men rarely get breast cancer, they too can be affected and should go for screening.
“October being the breast cancer awareness month, I’m appealing to men in the country to go for breast cancer screening for early detection and treatment. Most men think that breast cancer only affects women, which is not true. Men too contract breast cancer,” Kagoini said.
She was speaking on the sidelines of a free medical camp organised by Del Monte Kenya Limited in Matunda, Gatanga East.
Kagoini said breast cancer in men spreads faster than in women due to the size of the breast.
“Men breasts are small in size which makes cancer spread faster to other organs. Cases of men contracting breast cancer are usually serious and that’s why we are advising them to seek screening for early detection which is very vital,” she said.
Kagoini said cancer is the third leading cause of death after infectious and cardiovascular diseases, and early diagnosis, treatment and emotional support is imperative in reducing the mortality rate.
“Breast cancer has been claiming more than 3,000 lives in a month followed by cervical, esophageal, colorectal and prostate cancers. We should focus our resources on early screening, diagnosis, and treatment to save lives. We are urging our people not just to wait for symptoms but to go for early screening,” she said.
Some of the men who spoke to the Star said their fear of getting screened was the burden they would bring on their families should they be found with the disease.
“The disease is usually costly to treat and manage and in most cases it wipes family resources especially if the victims hail from humble backgrounds. Again, in cases of breast cancer in men, one would be very stigmatised because the disease is usually associated with women,” resident John Kamau said.
He said thousands of Kenyans suffer secretly because they lack the resources to treat cancer.
"It’s high time the government starts programmes to reach out to the many Kenyans who are suffering and help them with their treatment and medication,” Kamau said.
Dr Kagoini also raised concerns over increasing cases of skin and eye illnesses in Murang’a county.
She said lack of clean and sufficient water for domestic use has been the cause of the rising cases.
The medic urged the authorities, including the Murang’a government and private firms, to assist residents with water to reduce cases.
“This area we have a lot of illnesses that come due to lack of clean water. There are also a lot of eye infections and diarrhea diseases, especially schistosomiasis. We recommend that the community be assisted with clean water for consumption,” Kagoini said.
Del Monte head of human resources Gerald Matoke said the firm partnered with Murang’a health department and Family Health Option to facilitate the free medical camp that benefited more than 2,000 residents of Kakuzi Mitumbiri ward.
He said residents were screened for breast, cervical and prostate cancer. They also benefited from dental and eye check-ups, family planning, pediatric treatment, voluntary counseling, HIV-Aids testing and deworming.
“Health is one of our corporate social responsibility pillars and our objective in hosting this medical camp is to provide much needed health services to our neighbours and create awareness about health and hygiene among the people of Murang’a county,” Matoke said.
He said the firm will be holding similar camps in other areas within the county as it seeks to supplement the county government’s work in promoting health services.
Beneficiaries praised Del Monte for the initiative, saying the area lacks a health facility and they have to travel long distances to either Maragwa, Murang’a or Thika.
