AAR Hospital cuts cancer screening costs

Healthcare provider AAR Hospital has slashed the cost of cancer screenings for October. The move highlights how high testing costs are a key barrier to early diagnosis, the hospital's CEO said.

The price cuts target the most common cancers in Kenya. A mammogram, an X-ray picture of the breast used to detect cancer, now costs Sh2,500, down from over Sh5,500. A breast ultrasound, which uses sound waves to create images, is priced at Sh4,300, down from Sh6,000.

Screening for cervical cancer, known as a Pap smear, was cut to Sh1,500. A PSA blood test, which checks for a protein linked to prostate cancer, was more than halved to Sh2,000.

"We have recorded huge turnouts whenever we cut screening charges, indicating that testing cost is a barrier to early diagnosis, which has been proven to improve on treatment outcomes and survival rates," said AAR Hospital CEO Dr Aysha Edwards in a statement.

The high cost of cancer care strains Kenyan families and the public health system. Late diagnosis, often due to expensive initial screenings, leads to costlier treatments and lower survival odds.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Kenya, accounting for 16.1 per cent of all cases. It is the country's second leading cause of cancer deaths.

Medical guidelines advise women aged 40 to 55 to get a mammogram annually, and those over 55 to be tested every two years.