Kenyatta National Hospital will soon introduce oncology nursing training, the hospital's acting CEO Thomas Mutie has said.
Mutie said this will help address the rising number of cancer patients seeking treatment at the facility.
He spoke on Thursday when he officiated over the KNH School of Nursing 11th Graduation ceremony at the hospital grounds.
The CEO said overstretched facilities is a major challenge for the hospital.
"The hospital treats patients from all over Kenya and the neighbouring countries as well. Kenya has 47,887 new cancer cases every year or 39 per cent of the 122,564 infections, followed by Tanzania with 42,060, while Uganda has 3,261. Having more staff in such an area will help greatly in fighting the disease," Mutie said.
Ninety-eight nursing students graduated with higher diplomas during the function, 27 in critical care nursing, 15 in neonatal nursing, 13 in peri-operative nursing, nine in accident and emergency and 31 in nephrology nursing.
More than 1,080 students have graduated since the inception of the school in 1996, Mutie said.
He said KNH, the only public institution that has most cancer experts and technology in Kenya, is overwhelmed by the number of patients going to the facility.
“The war on cancer is happening in a time warp. We are working together with the National Cancer Institute to introduce specialised training in such areas that real skills are needed," Mutie said.
He called for dedicated cancer treatment centres across the country, saying the move will minimise delayed diagnosis, treatment, and reduce the financial burden of patients.
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"The graduands will go a long way in helping decongest KNH especially in areas that need specialised skills and care because they will be offering their services in county and sub-county hospitals. This will help attain Vision 2030 and the Universal Health Coverage," Mutie said.
The CEO said lack of enough staff with specialised skills has led to an influx of babies from other hospitals making KNH neonatal unit to admit double and sometimes triple the required number of 50 infants.
The KNH School of Nursing principal Jane Chore reiterated the hospital's commitment to expanding programmes and to continue training speciality nurses of high calibre to accelerate the UHC agenda.
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