Kenya to increase cancer funding

NAIROBI, Kenya - The Kenyan Government has announced it will allocate funds in the coming financial budget to public palliative cancer treatment centres.

This is in realization of cancer-caused deaths that are on the rise in the East African country.

Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said this will guarantee proper medical care for cancer patients who have often had to travel abroad to seek treatment.

“Starting this year 2014/2015 we shall allocate budgets for those cancer care centres because we require those patients to have comfort.”

“I know the Senators will support us when it comes to Parliament in terms of asking for budgets,” said Macharia as he channelled his remarks to Kisumu Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o, himself a cancer survivor.

Macharia assured that the ministry is also looking at ways of equipping public hospitals across the country to benefit all other patients following concerns of the poorly equipped hospitals.

“The public sector is strained in terms of trained personnel to treat and care for the cancer patients, something as ministry we are working tirelessly to see that is solved. People are flying out for cancer treatment, cardiovascular and diabetes, we saw the statistics and they are about 7,000 annually.”

“If we were to invest the close to $117.6 million that they spend abroad then we would be able to get value and improve our own facilities,” Macharia said.

By Humphrey Liloba, Monday, February 24th, 2014


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