President Uhuru Kenyatta has underscored his government’s commitment to ease access to quality health services for all Kenyans.
Speaking while opening and commissioning the new Integrated Molecular Imaging Center and Hospitality Center at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital, the president said the launch of the facility has added yet another arrow in the country’s quiver in its journey towards quality health care for its people.
“The scourge of cancer has bedeviled the country for decades causing untold suffering and forcing many families to seek cancer diagnostic and treatment outside Kenya. Thousands of Kenyans who have been traveling overseas in search of Medicare will now get quality treatment in Kenya” said the president.
President Kenyatta said the Government had invested in the screening and treatment facility in response to the rising cases of cancer-related deaths in the country.
“We are making these investments in recognition of the fact that cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya; and projections show that the burden of the disease will grow by approximately 85% by the year 2030, unless we as a Government take bold steps to address the challenges related to this disease,” the President said.
He observed that the greatest bottleneck in cancer management in Kenya has been lack of adequate facilities for early diagnosis and accurate stage grouping, a challenge he said the new facility seeks to resolve.
The President, who was accompanied by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, said the new cancer treatment Centre, which is equipped with a 100 persons hostel facility, will save Kenyans the over 10 billion shillings they spent on cancer treatment outside the country each year.
“The Integrated Molecular Imaging Centre Hospitality and Accommodation Centre will ensure that family can stay close to their loved ones receiving treatment here, while also providing accommodation for outpatients from far afield as they await subsequent rounds of treatment; eliminating the need for the long back-and-forth journeys that levy a heavy toll on their health and recovery,” the President observed.
Speaking at the same event, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the opening of the Integrated Molecular Imaging Centre is yet another milestone in ongoing efforts aimed at increasing access to quality healthcare for all Kenyans particularly, for cancer patients. According to Kagwe, Prioritizing the achievement of the Universal Healthcare Coverage remains a critical pillar of the Government strategy for sustained socioeconomic development adding that the launch of the imaging centre will bring the cost of healthcare significantly down.
“Indeed, the Ministry of Health remains committed to spearheading the achievement of the strategic objectives of the Kenya Health Policy (KHP) 2012–2030 by ensuring the provision of health care to all Kenyans in the most affordable, equitable, accessible, and responsive manner.” Said the Cabinet secretary.
KUTRRH board chairperson professor Olive Mugenda said the Integrated Molecular Imaging Center will be critical in addressing the gap in screening and diagnosis of cancer in the country.
The ultra-modern medical facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to offer comprehensive cancer management services and is part of the Government’s efforts to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC), a pillar of Kenya’s Big 4 development blueprint.
The new center, the first in a public health facility in the country and the region, will aid in early diagnosis and treatment of cancer and is part of KUTRRH Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
The ultra-modern facility was developed as part of government efforts to expand access to cancer treatment in the country.
Cancer is the third leading cause of death in the country after infectious and cardiovascular diseases with research indicating that the annual incidence of cancer increased from 37,000 to 47,887 new cases with the mortality rising from 28,500 to 32,987 cancer-related deaths between 2012-2018.
