Matayos lawmaker Geoffrey Odanga has challenged the Executive and the Legislative arms of government to come up with proper policies to combat the cancer scourge ravaging the country.
Speaking after opening a National-Government Constituency Development Fund sponsored administration block at Lukonyi Primary school, Odanga said cancer will soon be a national disaster if concerted efforts to stem it are not made.
“The disease is indiscriminately affecting all Kenyans regardless of their age or status in society. The Government and the National Assembly need to put emphasis on establishing effective policies to enable establishment of cancer screening and treatment centres in the country.
Odanga urged Kenyans to go for regular screening noting that the disease is curable if detected at an early stage compared to stage four where it is irreversible.
“Lack of awareness and late presentation is the greatest challenge we need to fight as a country. Most health facilities are not well equipped to make diagnosis and rarely do they contemplate cancer,” he stated.
He added that all Kenyans need to review on their lifestyle which is believed to be behind the rise in cancer cases.
The second time legislator said the government should fund screening exercises at regular intervals not only in big hospitals, but also in villages in order to reach all Kenyans and tame the spread of the disease.
The recent cancer deaths of prominent Kenyans have seen leaders across the political divide reignite calls for proper measures to fight the disease which is now Kenya’s third top killer disease after pneumonia and malaria.
This has seen a Cancer Prevention and Control (Amendment) Bill, 2019, presented before the Senate’s Standing Committee on Health, seeking to ensure that every county establishes a cancer centre and takes charge of prevention, treatment and control of the disease.
By Melechezedeck Ejakait/Abraham Khisa
