Kenya struggles to meet cancer care demand over shortage of specialists, equipment – report
A new report by the National Cancer Institute of Kenya has highlighted the shortage of cancer care professionals and equipment in the country.
The report shows that there are currently only 58 oncologists, 60 oncology nurses, and 12 oncology pharmacists, falling short of the demand for cancer treatment.
Additionally, there are only 19 external beam radiotherapy machines, with only eight located in public hospitals.
The International Atomic Energy Agency recommends at least one machine per million population, highlighting the discrepancy in the supply of equipment.
“This falls short of the recommendation by the International Atomic Energy Agency of at least 1 machine per 1,000,000 population,” said the report.
Despite cancer contributing 10% of the overall disease burden in Kenya, only 0.5% of the overall health budget was spent on cancer in 2019. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) supported approximately 50,000 cancer patients at a cost of KES 1.4 billion and KES 1.52 billion in the Financial Year 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 respectively.
“Cancer accounts for 2.5% of the total payout by NHIF per year,” said the report.
The report also showed that there are three national comprehensive cancer centers in the country including Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital, as well as ten regional cancer centers located in various cities.
“We need to invest more in cancer care in Kenya, from increasing the number of oncologists and radiotherapy machines, to expanding local training programs for oncology,” said Dr. Nancy Kariuki, an oncologist at KNH.
Despite the challenges, the report also highlighted the positive developments in cancer care in the country.
The Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral hospital (KUTRRH) has a state-of-the-art Integrated Molecular Imaging Centre, providing PET/SPECT CT services and linked to a hospitality center.
They have also recently acquired a cyber-knife for highly specialized cancer treatment. The private sector has six radiotherapy centers including Agha Khan, Nairobi Hospital, Texas Cancer Center, Nairobi West Hospital, Cancer Care Kenya, and Equra Cancer Centre in Eldoret.
“We need to continue to invest in cancer care in Kenya to ensure that all patients have access to high-quality treatment,” said Dr. Kariuki.
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