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Sh500m facility to ensure timely diagnosis of cancer

 Kilifi County hospital complex launched. (Courtesy)

Cancer patients can sigh with relief as construction of a Sh500 million health complex in Kilifi County nears completion.

The new facility at the Kilifi County General Hospital will host a cancer management unit that will offer radio and chemo therapy services to nearly five per cent of residents battling various forms of cancers.

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi said statistics from the county department of health indicate that more than 250 new cancer cases are reported annually, most of them at an advanced stage.

Mr Kingi said the facility will de-congest the Coast General and Referral Hospital in Mombasa which over the years has been straining to serve residents from Mombasa, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Kilifi, Tana River and Kwale counties.

“The situation especially in addressing the cancer menace is worrying. We know cancer can be treated if detected early but what has been challenging is that we lacked the facility. We hope to change this trend,” he said.

The governor regretted that cancer has taken a huge toll on residents. “Not a single week passes before we bury our people because of cancer,” he said.

Kilifi County Health Executive, Anisa Omar, said initially the health complex was designed to combat increasing cancer cases.

However, the project was later reviewed to include emergency and trauma centre with a 24 hour ambulance service system, two theatres, Intensive Care Unit and a High Dependency Unit (HDU).

Dr Omar said the emergency trauma unit was set up to cater for accident victims as the 120km Mombasa-Malindi highway has no hospital.

“The demand for trauma and road traffic accidents on our highway was so high. A lot of accidents are happening on our highway but we lack an emergency area. If an accident occurs most cases have to be referred back to Coast general hospital,” said Dr Omar.

According to the health complex plan, the ground floor will host the emergency trauma centre, a six bed capacity area for patients observation and a six bed resuscitation room and an x-ray room. 

First floor will have a six bed ICU and a similar bed capacity in the HDU.

Two theatres for major and minor surgeries will be on the second floor together with a patients recovery room, while third floor will be dedicated for diagnosis and an upgraded cancer management unit.

The cancer unit will be equipped with CT scan, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Machine (MRI), ultra eye machine, a Positron Emission Tomography( PET) scan for cancer diagnostics, a mammography and laboratory.

The governor was optimistic that the modern equipment will ensure timely diagnosis of cancer cases and treatment.

The county government is working with other stakeholders including top medical Institutions and research facilities in the State of Arizona in the United States to boost health services.

“Through linkages with our partners our county government has sent a group of 40 doctors for post graduate training abroad, they are from different disciplines,” said Kingi.

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