• Nairobi ward reps have asked governor Mike Sonko to set up cancer screening and testing centres across major health facilities.
• Setting up cancer screening and testing centres will help to mitigate as well as make awareness of the disease.
Nairobi ward reps have asked governor Mike Sonko to set up cancer screening and testing centres across major health facilities.
The ward reps say this will play a key role in early detection of the disease that has become a burden to many Kenyans.
This they said will further provide effective control of the diseases and even decrease the number of lives lost.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) , cancer is estimated to be the third leading cause of death in Kenya after infectious and cardiovascular diseases.
Cancer has 37,000 new cases with an annual mortality of over 28,000.
Karura MCA Joseph Wambugu while moving the motion on Monday said screening and prevention has been the best long term strategy to control cancer.
"Cancer is the third deadly disease leading to deaths of many after infectious and cardiovascular diseases. If we have these centres especially in major four county health facilities, we will reach out to many people whose lives can be saved," he said.
He added, "This has remained a great challenge because of the huge financial demands and few cancer treatment facilities in the city".
Wambugu said if the cancer centres are set up, they will have a major impact just like initiative of VCTs brought major impact during HIV epidemic in the country.
He said so far he has written to Sonko over the request while he seeks external partnerships from the likes Safaricom.
Nominated MCA Mbugua Kabiru said HIV is manageable but cancer destroys a person completely within six months if not noticed and treated.
"In Kenya we only have thirteen hospitals with cancer screening and treatment facilities including Agha Kan, Nairobi Hospital, MP Shah, Moi Teaching and Referral, Tenwek Mission, Karen Hospital, Texas Cancer Center, Coast Province General Hospital, Nairobi Women, Beacon Health Services, Kenyatta National and Kijabe Mission Hospital," he said
"The common Mwananchi cannot afford an instant Sh150,000 for testing and treatment of cancer in above mentioned hospitals, therefore, the services should be affordable and accessible," he added.
Dandora II ward rep Silas Matara said cancer has three stages and its only manageable in stage one.
Early this month late Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore passed on after a long battle with the disease.
WHO however states that between 30 and 50 percent of cancer deaths could be prevented by avoiding a number of causal key risk factors and through early detection which includes screening and early diagnosis.