How Kenya can step up defence against cancer

Our health system is capable of easing cancer burden often carried by families of infected and affected Kenyans. However, concrete measures and targeted interventions must be put in place urgently. Many families have had to foot medical expenses of their patients flown out of the country to treat the disease. Many have been left financially devastated by the scourge, which should not always be the case. So how can we respond to the disease as a country and win?

Firstly, we have a National Cancer Control and Prevention Act, a law passed by Parliament to give direction on how cancer should be managed. We have a National Cancer Control Plan, which sets forth various priorities in strategic areas like prevention and screening, treatment and diagnostic palliative care and survivorship, as well as pathology and registries and monitoring and evaluation.