Wajir county has partnered with HCGCCK Cancer Centre to set up a cancer centre.
Governor Mohamed Abdi on Wednesday welcomed the partnership, saying incidents of cancer are fast rising in Wajir. The most common is throat cancer.
He spoke after meeting top managers from HCGCCK.
HCGCCK Cancer Centre, Nairobi, is the first private comprehensive cancer centre in the East African region.
Abdi said once the new facility is fully equipped and operational, it will save hundreds of lives and cut costs for those who have to travel to Nairobi for screening and treatment.
The partnership will, among other things, involve setting up a cancer clinic at the county referral hospital to conduct regular screening, creating a registry and commissioning research to establish the causes of the most prevalent types of cancer in the county.
The clinic will also offer chemotherapy services.
“Huge resources are incurred in the management of this killer disease and we are optimistic that our partnership with HCGCCK will reduce these costs,” Abdi said.
He said that with regular screening, they will know the exact number of cancer patients through early detection.
The county has sponsored a medical doctor pursuing oncology in Egypt.
An oncology clinician is already at the referral hospital.
The governor encouraged residents to go for cancer screening.
The county has embarked on a robust health programme to educate the public on the signs and dangers of cancer.
HCGCCK Africa chief executive Dr Lyndon Maran said the partnership will also involve training of local nurses on how to handle patients.
Lifestyles and drug abuse have been cited as among causes of cancer.
Resident Mohamed Ibrahim, who suffers from throat cancer and who makes frequent visits to Nairobi, welcomed the setting up of the hospital.
“Devolving healthcare is the best thing ever. It has given room for such services to be brought closer home, something that was unheard-of when health was still under the national government,” he said.
