Before the coronavirus pandemic in Kenya, there was the cancer epidemic giving healthcare officials sleepless nights.
Statistics from the International Agency for the Research on Cancer indicate that cancer is the third-leading cause of death in the country after pneumonia and malaria.
Overall, in 2018, over 32,000 Kenyans died from the disease, most of them females (18,722).
Within the same period, there were over 47,000 new cases of cancer, out of which 28,688 were females and 19,199 were males.
The risk of dying from cancer before 75 years is higher among females (14.8 per cent) compared to 13.2 per cent among males.
The top five prevalent types of cancer include breast, cervix uteri, oesophagus, prostate and colorectum.
Just like Covid-19, cancer has been indiscriminate in its destruction, paying no respect to societal status.
The demise of Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso, Kibra MP Ken Okoth and Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore in July 2019 highlighted cancer as a ravaging monster that knows no bounds.
Before them, other public figures to be felled by the disease included Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua, former Laikipia MP GG Kariuki and NTV presenter Janet Kanini.
Alive to its deadliness, national and county governments have collaborated to increase access to cancer preventive and treatment services at the grassroots.
The National Cancer Control Strategy 2017-22 outlines strategies to reduce cancer prevalence by educating the public on a healthy lifestyle.
It also highlights measures to enhance early detection of cancer and provide treatment to patients.
During the funeral of the late Laboso, President Uhuru Kenyatta promised the national government would establish chemotherapy centres in Kisumu, Garissa, Meru, Nyeri, Kakamega, Mombasa, Machakos and Nakuru.
These efforts notwithstanding, early detection and treatment of cancer remains a mirage for many Kenyans due to its exorbitant costs and lack of enough oncologists.
In a research published in 2019 in the Cancer Control Journal, Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o and four other researchers state that many cancer centres are concentrated in the Nairobi region.
This impoverishes many patients who have to incur huge transport expenses to travel to Nairobi, in addition to the treatment expenses.
The long queues at the cancer centres occasioned by huge demand for cancer services can also be mentally excruciating.
