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The Nairobian

Kisumu launches innovative cancer dashboard to track cancer patients.

Nyanza

By Olivia Odhiambo | Nov 21, 2024

**Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu.** [Standard, File]

Kisumu County has launched a cancer Epidemiology Dashboard to revolutionize how to track and manage cancer patients.

This innovative tool, developed by Prof Thomas Odeny of Washington University in St. Louis, in collaboration with Dr Fiona Adagi, head of the cancer department at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) shows data for all cancer patients seen at JOOTRH from 2013 to present day.

The innovative dashboard was launched by Governor Anyang Nyong'o during the eighth Kenya International Cancer Conference (KICC) 2024 in Kisumu with the theme of advancing cancer care in Africa in a rapidly changing world.

"In recent years, Kisumu has made significant investments in community health services, including the digitization of these services. These efforts positioned us as a model county in Kenya, effectively leveraging technology to enhance healthcare delivery. We carry these lessons in cancer programs, where we strive for improved outcomes," said Governor Nyong'o.

Executive member in charge of Health (CEC) Gregory Ganda said the innovative dashboard shows that of the 3,916 cancer cases seen at JOOTRH over the last decade, cervical cancer is the most prevalent, followed by cancers of the esophagus, breast, and prostate.

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Dr Ganda noted that 48 percent of breast cancer patients do not return to care at JOOTRH.

"Looking at some of this other data, of the 491 cases nearly 15 percent have HIV, they are overwhelmingly seen during later stages of the cancer, and 65 percent have NHIF/SHIF coverage," he said.

He added: "Notably, there are about five percent of patients with breast cancer who were successfully treated in our home-grown Universal program called MARWA. This actually happened during a period when NHIF placed our clients on red due to delayed payment occasioned by the late transfer of funds. We however still took care of them in-house."

Dr Ganda said the innovative dashboard is important as policymakers and stakeholders now have real-time tools at their disposal to make choices on where to prioritize their resources.

He argued that since most cases present at later stages this tells everyone that there is a need to invest more in screening measures to enable cases to be caught earlier.

The Interim President of the Kenya Society of Haematology and Oncology (KESHO) Dr Hellen Musau said the ongoing conference started two days ago with an outreach program with a mass screening for various cancers.

According to Dr Musau, the event is being attended by 450 participants from 15 countries and is focusing on technology to advance care.

"During the conference experts will share their knowledge. Policymakers like the Ministry of Health and the National Cancer Institute are shaping the conversation on cancer management for the next two years,” she noted.

The conference started with pre-conference training sessions on Wednesday, followed by the main event running from Thursday to Saturday.

Dr Musau said those screened for various cancers were also linked to various facilities.