Hundreds of women from Manyatta Constituency, Embu County, have benefitted from a free breast and cervical cancer screening medical camp organised by the Beyond Zero Foundation in collaboration with the County Government.
The two-day camp held at Makengi Dispensary came as a relief at a time when patients are unable to access healthcare services under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) owing to transition challenges from the defunct NHIF.
The camp that commenced on Monday was part of a three-year programme between the County and Beyond Zero Foundation that seeks to conduct extensive breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment outreaches.
The burden of the two diseases and related deaths was on the rise in the county, according to Makengi Dispensary Nursing Officer Pheneas Kimathi.
He said cancer was treatable if detected early and called on women to go for regular checkups.
“Many women go to the hospital when the disease has already advanced and is difficult to treat,” he said.
He also called on them to take advantage of such free services whenever they are available to them, as some of the tests, such as pap smears, are expensive for many women, especially in rural areas.
Women who were tested, the majority of whom for the first time, hailed the initiative, saying the procedure was simple yet could go a long way in saving lives through early detection and intervention.
“I have never been tested before in my life, and I would encourage other women to go for regular screening,” said an area resident, Cecilia Njoki.
By Samuel Waititu
