Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma has said the devolved unit will establish a Sh5 billion cancer care facility to address the big burden of the disease in the county.
Speaking when he opened a new 250-bed ward block at Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital, Mutuma said the centre will ensure patients have access to cancer care services locally.
The governor said cancer remained one of the biggest health challenges in Meru, but noted the hospital which already has cancer treatment facilities is in the process of advancing it.
"Cancer has affected too many families in Meru. For too long, many patients have presented to the hospital when the disease is already advanced,” said Mutuma, adding, “When cancer is detected late, treatment becomes more difficult, more expensive and more complicated. We therefore decided that our response must go beyond treating cancer after it has already progressed."
Currently, the county offers various cancer services at the main hospital and he said the plan is to enhance it.
"Our first step has been to strengthen cancer treatment at MeTRH. We have completed an oncology ward with 20 additional beds, complementing the existing eight beds. This expansion is designed to enable more cancer patients to receive chemotherapy services closer to home and continuously," he noted.
Mutuma reiterated that the objective is to ensure that patients do not have to travel to Nairobi simply because they require chemotherapy.
"We want specialised cancer treatment to be available here. But treatment alone cannot solve the cancer burden. We must move further upstream. That is why I have allocated resources towards strengthening cancer screening across all 45 wards of Meru County. We are taking the message of early detection directly to our communities,” he said.
He said the hospital's infrastructure had progressively expanded, enabling it to offer services to patients in Meru and neighbouring counties.
"We have installed a state-of-the-art 64-slice CT scanner, strengthened our diagnostic imaging capacity and allowed our specialists to make faster and more informed clinical decisions,” he said.
Mutuma added, “We have expanded our dialysis capacity to improve access to renal services. We have completed a modern incinerator to strengthen healthcare waste management and support surrounding hospitals.”
The county boss said ongoing expansion of theatre capacity, maternity services, and inpatient capacity towards approximately 840 beds was part of a broader vision of serving bigger populations from several counties.
"We are also advancing plans to install a new MRI machine at MeTRH to strengthen our diagnostic imaging services. These investments are not isolated projects. They are building blocks of the Level 6 hospital we have envisioned," he said.
Among patients who have benefited from specialised care were those who had previously been forced to travel to Nairobi.
"When I was sworn into office on March 17, 2025, I inherited both an achievement and a challenge. The achievement was that Meru had already built a major referral institution. The challenge was that many of our people were still being forced to travel long distances outside the county to seek specialised healthcare. Patients were travelling to Nairobi and other parts of the country for services that we believe should progressively become available closer to home," he said.
Among the services sought outside the county were cancer treatment and other highly specialised medical services.
Mutuma said his administration is now partnering with the National Government to ensure specialised services are available at the hospital.
"We therefore developed a strategic direction. We decided that MeTRH must be transformed into a Level 6 regional medical hub. This is not simply about changing a hospital's classification,” said the governor.
According to him, it is about building the infrastructure, equipment, human resources, specialist services, referral systems, training and research capacity required of a modern tertiary referral institution.
“Our vision is for MeTRH to serve not only the people of Meru County, but also patients from the wider region, including Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Isiolo, Kitui, Marsabit and Samburu counties."
To enhance services across the county, his administration has embarked on upgrade works at the top sub-county hospitals.
"The four regional hospitals are currently operating as Level 4 hospitals, and our administration has embarked on a deliberate programme to elevate them to regional Level 5 hospitals. This transformation is being achieved through strategic infrastructure investments, expansion of specialized services, improvement of medical equipment and strengthening of human resources."
He added: "Nyambene Hospital will serve the Igembe region, Miathene Hospital will serve the Tigania region, Timau Hospital will serve the Buuri region and Kanyakine Hospital will serve the Imenti region. These regional Level 5 hospitals will become an important link between our sub-county hospitals and MeTRH."
They will provide a wider range of specialised services closer to our people, he said.
He said his administration was in the process of strengthening smaller hospitals across the 12 sub-counties, which are supported by health centres, dispensaries and Community Health Promoters.
He reiterated that the objective is to ensure that patients do not have to travel to Nairobi simply because they require chemotherapy.
"We want specialised cancer treatment to be available here. But treatment alone cannot solve the cancer burden. We must move further upstream. That is why I have allocated resources towards strengthening cancer screening across all 45 wards of Meru County. We are taking the message of early detection directly to our communities."
Mutuma said his administration was strengthening screening for breast cancer and prostate cancer, among other cancers.
“We are also strengthening awareness so that our people understand the importance of seeking medical attention early. We are also providing HPV vaccination to girls aged 10–14 years, because prevention must begin before disease occurs. This is how we move from a health system that predominantly treats disease to one that actively prevents disease."
He said they had completed an oncology ward with 20 additional beds, complementing the existing eight beds.
"This expansion is designed to enable more cancer patients to receive chemotherapy services closer to home and continuously,” he said, adding his vision included strengthening cancer services at the four regional Level 5 hospitals.
"These hospitals will provide cancer screening, early diagnosis and appropriate initial management while creating a structured referral pathway to MeTRH," he said.
He revealed that a feasibility report for a proposed Public-Private Partnership to establish a comprehensive cancer care centre at MeTRH has been approved, and the process is moving towards procurement.
"The proposed investment is approximately Sh5 billion. The centre will provide the infrastructure necessary to address the cancer burden comprehensively. Our intention is not simply to build another cancer ward,” he said, noting, “We want to establish a comprehensive cancer-care centre capable of addressing the entire cancer journey. From screening and diagnosis to treatment, follow-up and palliative care."
He said that when MeTRH becomes a Level 6 regional medical hub, it will have the capacity to serve patients from across the wider region.
