Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital chief executive officer Wilson Aruasa addresses the press on April 10, 2017, during the commissioning of an Arthroscopy Machine. He has said the facility is bolstering its fight against cancer. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret has acquired supplementary equipment to handle the high number of cancer patients seeking treatment both as inpatients and outpatients in western Kenya.
The second largest referral hospital in the country has a unit that can handle 500 patients, which is however inadequate for patients some from as far as Uganda.
“The unit can handle diagnostic and chemotherapy but the high charges are unaffordable to most patients,” Dr Wilson Aruasa, the hospital’s chief executive officer said.
SPECIALISTS
Dr Aruasa disclosed that the hospital has procured both Linac and a brachytherapy machines, which are to be delivered, installed and commissioned by April.
Dr Aruasa disclosed that the hospital has procured both Linac and a brachytherapy machines, which are to be delivered, installed and commissioned by April.
“Cancer is treated in six cycles with charges ranging between Sh5,000 and Sh10,000 and we are working with insurance agencies to make it affordable to most patients,” he said.
Construction of Chandaria cancer and chronic disease centre that will offer both radiotherapy and chemotherapy will be operational by the end of the year.
This comes as the country is faced with a shortage of nephrologists who can handle kidney complications including dialysis.
RENAL PATIENTS
Kenya has less than 29 nephrologists including in its two referral hospitals, 24 specialists to manage adult patients and five for children.
Kenya has less than 29 nephrologists including in its two referral hospitals, 24 specialists to manage adult patients and five for children.
The specialists are expected to serve 44 million Kenyans, placing the country at 0.50 nephrologists per million population.
This has led to stretching of renal facilities at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and MTRH making it virtually impossible for renal patients to access timely and affordable health care.
“Going by this rate, it implies that each nephrologist who deals with adult kidney patients handles about two million cases, whereas each nephrologist who specializes in children’s renal issues handles 10 million cases,” Dr Phillip Chepting’a, a kidney specialist at MTRH, said.
SHORTAGE
A report by Clinical Kidney Journal 2016 indicates that Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan are among the countries in the African with less than one nephrologist per one million people.
A report by Clinical Kidney Journal 2016 indicates that Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan are among the countries in the African with less than one nephrologist per one million people.
Health specialists say thousands of kidney patients who cannot afford dialysis or transplant are dying due to outrageous cost of treatment in private hospitals.
“There are only eight transplant surgeons for adults, six of whom are based at KNH in Nairobi and two at MTRH,” Dr Chepting’a said, adding that Kenya currently has no transplant surgeon for kids.
He added that Sh20 billion is lost annually due to increased number of patients seeking kidney treatment in foreign hospitals.
“There is need for government to facilitate the tests to be done locally to reduce costs and save time. Some samples take about two weeks for results to return from South Africa,” he explained.
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