Sh50m worth of lotion to be given to PWAs

By ANJELLAH OWINO

The National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) has procured 19,500 bottles of sunscreen lotions  amounting to Sh50 million, which the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency will distribute to selected Government hospitals in counties countrywide.

The lotions will be distributed to People With Albinism (PWA) to curb skin cancer. And nearly 800 medical practitioners countrywide will get training this week in selected health facilities.

The council has said it will train medical personnel in challenges PWAs face while working under the sun and their role in distributing the lotions, and monitoring and evaluating the impact of the programme.

“Continuous exposure to the sun without protection predisposes PWAs to skin cancer, otherwise known as basal cell carcinoma. This is the number one killer for PWAs in tropical Africa,” wrote Francis Anyenda, the senior public relations officer of NCPD.

The programme is expected to provide a 200ml bottle of sunscreen lotion to at least 2,500 PWAs across the country every month.