“MTRH and Kenya Survivorship Ride Raises Awareness for Pediatric Cancer”
Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), a leading pediatric care facility in Sub-Saharan Africa, launched the “Kenya Survivorship Ride” initiative on Monday. The event, spearheaded by over 20 cyclists, aims to raise awareness about pediatric cancer cases in the country.
Dr. Owen Menach, Acting Senior Director of Clinical Services at MTRH, stressed the importance of early screening and treatment in combating pediatric cancers. He emphasized, “Pediatric cancer cases can be dealt with through creating awareness as well as early screening and treatment.”
Highlighting the grim reality of pediatric cancer survival rates in Kenya, Dr. Oibara Gilbert, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist, lamented the low survival rates. He noted, “Only two to three of the ten children diagnosed with cancer survive in Kenya, with the bulk of the children dying undiagnosed of cancer.”
Dr. Jesse Lemmen, the organizer of the “Kenya Survivor Ride,” emphasized the importance of survivorship among children with cancer as a beacon of hope.
Dr. Owen also revealed a concerning trend in pediatric cancer cases at MTRH. He stated, “Over the last three years at MTRH, we were seeing only 150 cases of cancer among children per year. Currently, we are attending to close to 350 cases annually. However, this is only 25 percent of the cancer cases we are supposed to be attending to.”
Dr. Owen highlighted the prevalent forms of cancer among children, including leukemia, cancer of the lymph nodes, and solid tumor cancer of the kidneys. He announced a significant investment, stating, “In the next 52 weeks, we will be officially opening a $2 million cancer care hospital for children. This investment will significantly boost cancer care in children.”
Expressing gratitude to the national government, Dr. Owen acknowledged the launch of the National Social Health Authority and the Social Health Insurance Fund. He emphasized the transformative impact of these initiatives, stating, “Out-of-pocket cancer health payments will be a thing of the past, which will have a tremendous impact on the management and follow-up of children with cancer and general healthcare.”
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