Minister urges Kenyans to sign for NHIF to access cancer care

A man fills NHIF registration forms in Kisumu during a previous registration drive. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Kenyans should sign up for the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) so that they can access cancer diagnosis and treatment services.

Under the new cancer NHIF package, patients are entitled to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging and monthly clinic check-ups, according to Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu.

At least 39 Kenyans die every day from cancer last year, up from 33 deaths in 2010 largely because of late diagnosis when the cancer has worsened or because they cannot get timely treatment.

Further, some types of cancers may not have any symptoms and may affect the patients slowly without severe or physical symptoms and thus be ignored or misdiagnosed.

“I urge those not enrolled to NHIF to do so as it is one of our vehicles towards universal health coverage,” he said.

The leading cancers amongst women are cervical and breast while in men are prostate, oesophagus, and colorectal cancers.

Those in children are leukemia (cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues), lymphoma (cancer that affects the immune system), and retinoblastoma (eye cancer in children)

REGIONAL CANCER CENTRES

He said the Ministry of Health is working with county governments to establish four state-of-the-art regional cancer treatment centres in Kisii, Nakuru, Nyeri and Mombasa. Each centre is expected to cost Sh1 billion.

Dr Mailu spoke on Monday in Nairobi during the launch of the Beth Mugo Cancer Foundation by Nominated Senator Beth Mugo who is a breast cancer survivor.

Ms Mugo went public in 2012 about her cancer diagnosis while serving as Minister for Public Health and Sanitation under former President Mwai Kibaki.

“This event is indeed timely as it is happening when our country and region are on the public health spotlight as we are experiencing a significant rise in the burden of cancer and other non-communicable diseases,” he added.

The foundation will partner with Roche Pharmaceutical Company that will also train oncologists, facilitate diagnosis of the disease and provide cancer drugs.

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said there is need to change the current cancer narrative from a “death sentence” to a message of triumph and hope for cancer patients.

There are at least 40,000 new cancer cases reported annually in the country, with at least 27,000 cancer deaths within the same period.
This makes cancer — a non-communicable disease — the third leading cause of death in Kenya.