The rate of cancer deaths in Kenya is double that of developed countries, the Ministry of Health says.
This means a cancer patient in Kenya is twice likely to die from the disease, compared to a patient in Europe.
"While in other countries, particularly in the West, only 30 per cent of cancer patients die as a result of the disease, here in Kenya we lose up to 70 per cent, which is a worrying trend," said Health CS Mutahi Kagwe.
During an inspection of Kisumu's comprehensive cancer and blood disorder centre, which is under construction, the CS revealed that each year, the country loses 27,000 people to cancer.
He said the construction of the comprehensive cancer and blood disorder centre will enhance the control and management of cancer and sickle cell cases in the region.
"The disease burden in Kisumu, including HIV and Aids whose prevalence rates is 17 per cent in the region, as compared to the five per cent nationally, is a testament of the enormous work ahead," he said.
Kagwe noted that the prevalence of sickle cell in the region is between 3.2 per cent and 4.5 per cent compared to the national prevalence that stands at between one per cent and four per cent.
He said that by building a molecular imaging centre in Nairobi and Mombasa, the country had greatly reduced the number of cancer patients being referred for treatment to countries outside Kenya such as India.
The CS said over 2,000 patients have benefited from the services offered by the molecular imaging centres in Mombasa and Nairobi since their establishment.
The CS said the government will continue to support provisions of medical equipment but appealed to health care workers in public hospitals to handle patients humanely.
Cancer is the third biggest killer in the country after infectious and cardiovascular diseases.
According to the national task force on cancer, which presented its report to stakeholders in Naivasha last week, the top cancers are that of the breast, cervix, prostate, oesophagus and colon.
According to the secretary of the taskforce, Dr Alfred Karagu, 6,800 cases of breast cancer were recorded last year followed by cervical at 5,200 and prostate at 3,000.
“Cancer cases have turned out to be a burden in the health sector killing 27,000 people while 42,000 new cases are recorded annually,” he said.
The doctor said that the government was committed to opening up more cancer centres in the country for early detection in a bid to reduce the rising cases.
He added that they were working with other stakeholders like NHIF to address the soaring cost of treatment.
“The ministry is working with county governments to put up more cancer centres for early diagnosis which will see 70 per cent of the new cases treated,” he said.
Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o noted that counties had made major strides in dealing with the cancer menace that had killed many and impoverished families.
He however hit out at NHIF for failing to support cancer patients noting that the fund was more interested in funds than health.
Speaking during the function, he noted that the cost of treating cancer remained high adding that preventive health care could help address this.
“Thirty percent of cancer cases are curable if detected early and hence the need to invest in screening centres across the country,” he said.
According to Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) board chairperson Prof Olive Mugenda, KU hospital is offering cheaper services compared to flying patients to India.
“The biggest challenge that we have is the lack of oncologists to deal with cancer and with the opening of the referral hospital we expect the cost of treatment to drop by 60 per cent," she said.
Director of medical services Dr Andrew Mulwa identified the cost of drugs as the main challenge currently facing cancer patients.
