Government to establish regional cancer treatment centres

The Government plans to establish regional cancer treatment centres in a new strategy to decongest referral hospitals in the fight against the killer disease.

Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu said the cancer centres planned for the Coast, Nyanza, Central and Rift Valley regions would save Kenyans money spent while travelling to Kenyatta National Hospital to access the treatment.

Dr Mailu, who spoke during the State House Summit on Health today, said the Government is also equipping and improving infrastructure in public facilities at the county and national level to increase access to healthcare in its effort to deliver Jubilee administration’s promise on health.

“Cancer diagnosis and treatment can be managed as outpatient ailments with the right equipment in hospitals. Distance, however, force patients to be admitted at the referral hospitals,” Dr Mailu told sector players during the Summit.

He said Sh98.3 billion has been invested in specialized equipment in hospitals and free healthcare services, including free maternity services, in health centres and dispensaries. The CS added that the Government has also allocated Sh20 billion to HIV, TB and Malaria programs among others in a move to ensure Kenyans readily access healthcare services.

“Specialized equipment in Hospitals has been allocated Sh38 billion, Free Maternity Service Sh4.2 billion, Free services in health centres and dispensaries (no user fee) Sh900 million,” Dr Mailu said. “HIV, TB and Malaria programs Sh20 billion, Sh28 billion for expansion of NHIF benefit care package to include Chronic Illness while Sh26 billion is for upgrading healthcare in informal settlements.”

Implementation of the Managed Equipment Service project is firmly on course with 144 digital anaesthetic machines, 104 digital sterilization equipment and modern surgical sets, 94 digital X-ray systems, 28 high dependency unit equipment and 47 digital OPG unit for dental X-rays installed by June 2016.

The Cabinet Secretary observed that interventions and achievements in maternal health have translated into the doubling of skilled deliveries from 600,000 to 1.2 million, enabling 58 per cent of Kenyan women to access contraception.

Interventions and achievements in child health, Dr Mailu said, include reduction of diarrhea in children by 50 per cent, improved nutritional status and immunization coverage; and reduction in transmission of HIV from mother to child by 50 per cent (13,000 to 6,500).

He pointed out that Government distributed 12.6 million mosquito nets to ensure that  majority of children ‘in the country sleep under a net’ while 90 per cent of TB patients get treatment.

Other interventions for improved access to health services include NHIF chronic illness package, increased capacity in human resources, more Kenya Medical Training Centre campuses and health subsidies in informal settlement health facilities, the CS said.

Governors Jack Ranguma of Kisumu, Paul Chepkwony of Kericho and Kinuthia Mbugua of Nakuru defended county governments from allegations of mismanaging the health dockets in their devolved units.

Governor Ranguma said the ‘teething problems’ in the health sector at the counties do not mean that the devolved systems have failed in their mandate nor do they mean that devolution is not working.

“The county and national governments are both playing their respective roles to ensure Kenyans have access to quality healthcare services,” Governor Ranguma said.

While thanking the national Government for the Managed Equipment Service project, the Kisumu Governor said counties have not denied medical doctors specialized training as alleged.

“It is not true that county governments have denied doctors specialized training to enable them man the specialized equipment at the hospitals,” the Governor said.

“Through the MES project, many patients requiring specialized treatment are able to access innovative medical technology services in county hospitals,” said Kericho Governor Chepkwony.