Eldoret: Kenyans Urged to Go For Early Cancer Screening

Kenyans have been urged to go for early cancer screening.

Speaking during World Cancer Day Dr. Opacas Jessi Clinical and radiation oncologist from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital said, this will help for early detection and treatment.

“I want to urge Kenyans to at least go for cancer screening. When cancer is diagnosed early it can be treated and cured,” said Dr Jessi while speaking to the press.
He says MTRH does cancer screening, and investigation for cancer, and offers treatment for the disease among others.

“We do free cervical and breast cancer, we also have a health clinic where we advise against prevention. Early diagnosis saves a life, here at MTRH we have all the modalities of cancer treatment that’s surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and radiotherapy among others,” he added.

Dr Jessi says the most common cancer at MTRH according to National and local statistics is breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer in men, and colorectal cancer among others.

He says the main challenge is late diagnosis where about 75 percent of patients come with stages 3 and four which are hard to be treated.

“It is cheaper to treat cancer when it is diagnosed earlier it’s even cheaper to prevent cancer. What we emphasize is early diagnosis and prevention.

“At MTRH we see 40 patients per day which translates to over five hundred patients every month,” he said.
Dr Claudio Owino chairman of Eldortet Hospice Palliative Care Unit urged cancer patients not to lose hope since it’s not the end of life.

“I also want to urge the government to put the palliative Care Unit to NHIF as part of Chronic disease care for them to be assisted since the bills are quite expensive,” he said.

Mercy Osoro a cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2005 called on the government to have a cancer survivor package saying after treatment there are a lot of side effects that need a lot of money to be treated.

“We are pleading with the government to have a package on cancer survivorship in the NHIF because after treatment there are side effects where one lives with them.

Osoro was suffering from lymphoma cancer where she had a big mass on her neck but after treatment, she is living a normal life since she was diagnosed and treated earlier.

“When I got the treatment the side effect is that my heart was affected, and I am a cardiac patient, I do go to the cardiologist since my heart was affected. I spend at least twenty thousand shillings which is very expensive to buy the drugs,” she said.

Jaclyn Kiplagat another cancer survivor who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 says the government through the Ministry of Health should come out and help cancer survivors.

“Imagine spending over 30,000 shillings per month the government should give us a package to cater to this
drugs expenses,” she said.