Prioritise cancer management in public hospitals

[Photo: Courtesy]

The mention of cancer sends chills down the spine of anyone diagnosed with the same. Over time, cancer has been considered a terminal disease, a death sentence to those who bear its burden. Indeed, cancer has claimed a lot of lives, but recent scientific advances offer hope. There has been change in how the disease is being managed; from reactionary, when it is too late to treat it to preventive, with emphasis on healthy living and going for medical checks periodically.

Doctors have determined that cancer is manageable if discovered early. The Kenyan tragedy, however, is that diagnosis is often made when it is too late. Sadly, this occasions an estimated 25000 deaths annually from an infection rate of 40000 cases annually. The 2017 Economic Survey determined that 15,762 people succumbed to cancer in 2016.