Cancer patients start receiving care at new facility
Hawa Suleiman (left), a radiotherapist at Equra Health Kenya located in Eldoret Hospital, Uasin Gishu County, explains to guests how a radiotherapy machine works, on July 6, 2017. It will be used to treat cancer patients. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Dr Korf said the region was largely under-served in terms of advanced therapy.
- More than $2 million (Sh207m) was used to set up the facility and train medical experts.
Cancer patients from western Kenya and its environs will access treatment and care locally following the launch of a comprehensive centre at Eldoret Hospital.
Set up in partnership with Equra Health Kenya, the centre has acquired Sh2 billion machines and serves 60 patients a day.
Equipped with the latest world-class radiotherapy facilities, it brings advanced cancer treatment to the patients in western Kenya, neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda.
PATIENTS
Dr Erhardt Korf, the CEO of Equra Health Kenya, said they saw the need for an advanced cancer facility with modern equipment to serve the broader population of 20 million people.
Eldoret town gained comparative advantage for being strategically placed in the region with strong medical referral infrastructure, experts and extensive regional population.
“Our two-year journey has finally paid off as cancer patients can now receive full services and treatment here in Eldoret, closer to their social support structure, which is vital for the patients’ recovery,” Dr Korf said.
COST
He added that the region was largely under-served in terms of advanced therapy.
Cancer patients in the region used to travel for long hours to Nairobi for full cancer treatment.
This made treatment expensive as patients incurred a lot of expenses in travel and accommodation for the duration of treatment, which could last even seven weeks.
“By bringing this treatment closer to the people, we enable them to continue working and benefiting from the support of their families, as well as eliminate the cost of travel and accommodation in a major city” Dr Korf said.
TRAINING
Dr Jesse Opakas, an oncology expert at the centre, said the facility represents a new dawn of quality cancer care.
“The start of radiotherapy services is the fruit of many people’s hard work over the past 24 months. We look forward to bringing quality services and excellent patient care,” Dr Opakas said.
More than $2 million (Sh207m) was used to set up the facility and train medical experts on how to use the modern equipment to ensure smooth operations in the facility.
