St Theresa Kiirua Mission Hospital in Meru County has launched an initiative dubbed ‘Hope against Cancer Initiative’ that will enhance the fight against the scourge.
Speaking during the initiative at Kinoru stadium after a 14-kilometer walk, the Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sister Mary Agnes Nkatha said the idea to have such an initiative came up after realising the number of patients seeking treatment at the facility and their status in terms of financing their treatment.
“We contemplated having this initiative after considering the journey we have had with our patients since August 2022 when the number of cancer patients at the facility started soaring as well as those who we lost through the menace,” said Sister Nkatha.
She said that their aim was to do things differently in terms of the care given to the patients as well as sensitisation to those who were not suffering from the disease.
“The huge numbers were a clear indicator that we needed to take a dignified action and as the hospital’s management, we came up with the idea of having this initiative,” said Sister Nkatha.
She added that the facility’s 2023-2027 strategic plan also envisioned the possibility of starting a robust training programme for caregivers charged with the responsibility of taking care of cancer patients even after we treat them.
She said at the moment the hospital has been receiving many cases especially after their team camped in villages sensitising and screening residents, and 70 percent of these are at an advanced stage.
“All these brought us to this thought because we needed to create a strong fund that will help patients who at some point exhaust money from their medical covers and who we have been losing along the way,” said Sister Nkatha.
She added that all these misfortunes started becoming a concern to them, and that is why they have come up with a clear implementation plan so that we can make a difference in the community.
She added: “Since 2022, we have enrolled about 700 patients in this programme and we are also set to continue going out there to carry out more screening exercises.”
She said they would also seek to strengthen social-cultural structures for patients’ psychological support, especially by members of their community or family members.
By Dickson Mwiti
