Counties urged to enhance cancer screening

Cancer screening should be made accessible, like HIV/Aids test to reduce deaths due to late diagnosis.

Crusaders for early detection and treatment of cancer at the Coast called on the counties to equip healthcare facilities to diagnose the disease.

They said the region's six governors should invest more in preventative services and build health facilities that will enable locals to access early diagnosis and treatment.

Dr Geoffrey Mutuma of Zambezi Hospital in Nairobi said about 80 per cent of patients go to hospital when the disease has progressed to stage four, reducing their chances of survival.

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“Many patients seek treatment when cancer is at stage three and four, which is not easy to treat. People should not live with cancer for five to 10 years without their knowledge,” he said.

Dr Mutuma has so far organised walks in more than 20 counties across the country since he launched the campaign in 2015.

He noted that cancer currently affects even young people aged between 30 and 40 because of risk factors that include unhealthy diets.

Mutuma said the only way to save Kenyans from cancer was by creating awareness so that they could be screened and treated early. “Creating awareness is cheaper, and that is what can save us,” he said.

Former Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo said patients from Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Tana River, and Lamu mainly rely on the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital in Mombasa County as the main hospital for the region and have overstretched service delivery.

“I am appealing to the governors in this region to invest more in preventive services and ensure that cancer and other non-communicable diseases are diagnosed and treated early,” he said.

Coast Development Authority chairman, Mr Mzee Mwinyi Mzee, said devolution has presented an opportunity for county governments to invest more in public health services and tackle non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.

“The county governments should ensure there are health facilities close to the people. We also need to discard myths that cancer is caused by witchcraft,” he noted.

Al Zak Medical Care CEO Mwinyi Mzee noted there was a need for Kenyans to eat more vegetables and fruits and avoid recycling cooking oil to prevent cancer.

“We should also stop restoring food in plastic bottles and bags. We should also drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration, which affects our immunity. We should eat healthy food and supplements to keep our immunity high and prevent cancer,” he said.

Maina Mbugua from BF Suma, a food supplements firm, said involving children in the awareness campaign enables them to grow with the messages on preventing the disease.

“Children will know about healthy food and how to prevent non-communicable diseases at an early age. They will know which foods cause obesity and which ones are healthy and tell this to their parents,” he said.