The county government of Homa Bay has signed a deal with Aga Khan Hospital to establish a cancer-care centre.
Governor Gladys Wanga said that the center will serve the increasing number of cancer patients in the region, noting that those suffering from the deadly disease faced monumental challenges in accessing medical care.
“The establishment of a cancer care centre will therefore be a great milestone for our people. Cancer patients have been travelling to other counties to seek for treatment, thus increasing the cost of management of the disease,” she said.
The governor said the memorandum of understanding between her government and Aga Khan Hospital to set up the cancer center will reduce the overall cost of management of the disease.
“Establishment of the cancer centre, set to be located at Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital, will be one of my legacies and I call on all the stakeholders to support it,” she said.
“We will put our best foot forward in ensuring we prevent the disease from ravaging our people because prevention is better than cure,” the governor said.
The facility will be started through a project called East Africa Comprehensive Cancer Project (EA-CCP), funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Gates Foundation over a period of four years.
Speaking after the signing of the deal at the county headquarters in Homa Bay town, the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu Chief Executive Officer Jane Wanyama said EA-CCP, scheduled for opening in March 2029, will benefit 88,900 women already screened for breast and cervical cancers.
This will also see some 1.2 million nine-year-old girls get vaccinated with Human Papilloma Virus Vaccines to prevent cervical cancer.
“We are working collaboratively with the county government of Homa Bay. Health workers will be trained on cancer treatment and management,” Wanyama said.
She said awareness on the disease will also be enhanced with focus on having people speak about the disease.
It estimated that these campaigns will directly reach over 1.8 million people in the lake region economic block.
“Tackling the issue requires a multifaceted approach that focuses on raising awareness. We want to improve access to screening services and foster community engagement,” she said.
By Davis Langat
