With most cancer patients in Kenya having to go through five to eight doctors to ascertain the illness, specialists are calling for a unified perspective in ensuring early screening and detection is achieved.
This was the clarion call when over 200 Chronic Myeloid Leukemia patients (CML) converged at The Nairobi Hospital to commemorate this year’s World CML Day.
The World CML Day is an annual event aimed at championing the welfare of acute cancer survivors across the globe.
Under this year’s theme, ‘No one is left behind’, over five partners brought together patients so they could pick the sights and sounds in their journey out of the disease.
Max Foundation, Henzo Kenya, the Nairobi Hospital, Novartis and the Ministry of Health are taking full care of 2000 CML patients so far in Kenya to enable them receive pro-bono services in the program that is in operation for now 20 years.
The patients say were it not for the program they would be reading from a different script matters of treating this cancer that starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow and invades the blood.
With the pricing of medical treatment thickening the flesh of most cancer survivors in Kenya, Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyongo implored the government through the Ministry of Health to include cancer treatment in the new Health Fund that the government wishes to introduce.
The Kisumu county boss, who is cognizant of the pricing, says incorporating cancer treatment into the Social Health Insurance Fund will be a reliever for most cancer patients in the country.
Owing to the less number of counties offering specialized treatment of cancer in the country, Nairobi Hospital Cancer team lead Prof Abinya also told the senate to further the steps of decentralizing cancer treatment to more counties.
Nairobi, Uasin Gishu, Mombasa and Kisumu out of the 47 counties, offer specialized cancer treatment in the country with an overstretched resources capability.
Glivlec International Patient Assistance program since its inception in 2004 and has remained successful in the health care system through collaboration with Max Foundation, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Axios International and Henzo Kenya.
The program not only supports CML patients but also gastrointestinal stromal tumor, Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans among others.
The Nairobi Hospital receives over 150 patients of these various ailments who are under the care of 10 medical oncologists.
The oncologist serve under the tutelage of the head of the Oncology department, Professor Abinya.