Kenya sought the assistance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to step up cancer treatment at its two referral hospitals and extend the services to three other major towns.
This came as Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter outlined the country’s progress towards setting up a nuclear power plant.
Addressing an IAEA ministerial conference in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday, Mr Keter said Kenya is expanding high-level treatment services of the country's main killer disease to the Coast Provincial General Referral Hospital in Mombasa, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu and Nyeri Provincial Hospital.
“In this context, support towards equipping the specific hospitals and capacity building, especially in diagnosis and treatment of cancer, is crucial and highly needed,” he said.
EXPANSION
He also said that the IAEA was instrumental in the establishment of cancer treatment centres at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi and Eldoret’s Moi Referral and Teaching Hospital (MTRH).
“We are grateful that IAEA has partnered with the government to expand cancer treatment programme to include MTRH. This will ease the burden on KNH while covering the rural areas in the Rift Valley and beyond,” he told the gathering.
Mr Keter was accompanied by Kenya National Electricity Board Director-General Collins Juma and Kenya Electricity Generating Company Managing-Director Rebecca Miano.
SUPPORT
During a meeting with IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano, Mr Keter spoke of the severity of the disease and urged the agency to offer assistance.
“Cancer is on the rise and is a very worrying disease. Cancer patients are flying to India for treatment. Provision of equipment to Kenya will help in the treatment of cancer not only in Kenya but to other countries in the region."
Mr Amano, who is passionate about treatment of cancer through radiotherapy, described Kenya as one of IAEA’s centres in the world and promised to extend their support to equipping the provincial referral hospitals in Mombasa, Nyeri and Kisumu.
