The taskforce on cancer management has announced plans to begin holding public hearings in Meru and Mombasa counties.
In a statement by the Ministry of Health on Saturday, the hearings will help the taskforce come up with policies to guide efforts to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment in the country.
The taskforce will hold the public hearings in Meru on July 14, and Mombasa on July 23, 2021.
"The Taskforce has already held consultative forums with cancer service providers, related sector actors with the upcoming hearings in Meru and Mombasa expected to collect views from other stakeholders including members of the public," the ministry said.
The Taskforce called on the public to participate in the process through oral presentation or submission of written memoranda on cancer related priority issues to be addressed in your respective area, proposals on immediate and long term solutions to identify priority issues and level of preparedness to implement proposed solutions.
The deadline for the submissions is July 25, 2021.
The Cancer Taskforce was constituted by health Cabinet Secretary and Principal Secretary for Health on May 10, 2021.
It was tasked with reviewing the institutional, policy and legal framework for cancer management in the country, assessing the prevailing health system capacity to deliver effective cancer control and analyze the actors and stakeholders in the cancer ecosystem.
It will also propose a framework for effective and efficient governance, linkages and collaboration.
In 2019, the National Cancer Institute submitted a report to the National Assembly’s Health Committee that revealed top three most prevalent male and female type of cancer in selected counties.
The report indicated that oesophagus and prostate cancer were the most common male cancers in the 11 counties sampled.
The 11 selected counties are the regions with high incidences of cancer cases in the country.
They counties were: Nairobi, Kisumu, Meru, Mombasa, Kakamega, Kiambu, Nyeri, Nakuru, Bomet, Embu and Eldoret.
