MTRH cancer burden soars with 25,000 patients handled annually

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The number of cancer patients handled at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) has increased to over 25,000 annually.

Senior Deputy Director for Clinical Services at the hospital, Dr Andrew Wandera, says cancer is now a major burden on the healthcare system, and the hospital is working with all partners to comprehensively address the challenge.

The hospital has one of the largest cancer treatment facilities, offering comprehensive care including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and palliative care.

“We have the necessary personnel and equipment to offer quality and standard care to cancer patients,” Dr Wandera said.

Dr Wandera said the most common cancers handled at the hospital include breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancers.

He noted that the country is experiencing an increasing cancer burden, with over 100,000 patients currently on treatment and 50,000 new cases diagnosed annually.

Dr Wandera said the country loses more than 30,000 people to cancer each year. He added that the hospital is partnering with other stakeholders to scale up cancer services, including early screening.

He was speaking at the hospital while flagging off a procession to mark World Cancer Day. He was accompanied by the county First Lady, Mama Selina Bii, and Health Chief Officers Dr Paul Wangwe and Ambrose Tarus.

The county First Lady called for increased cancer awareness campaigns to mobilise residents to seek early screening.

Dr Wangwe said the county was working to create awareness on cancer, noting that the region has 143 health facilities offering screening services.

He said the county was well prepared to handle cancer through partnerships with other stakeholders.

At the same time, Uasin Gishu County has rolled out a capacity-building programme for its healthcare staff, focusing on cancer.

Governor Jonathan Bii and his deputy, Evans Kapkea, said they would leverage collaboration with development partners to help scale up efforts to address cancer in the region.

The governor said cancer is now a major burden on the country’s healthcare system, underscoring the need for the enforcement of policies and strategies to effectively manage the disease.

The county said it will strengthen its international health partnerships to support capacity-building initiatives and review health systems to ensure a focus on key aspects of tackling cancer.

The county recently hosted a Swedish delegation led by Peter Berggren for a second engagement on cancer management.

The meeting focused on advancing collaboration in genetic counselling and genomics between the county and Moi University.

The forum marked a significant step toward leveraging global expertise to enhance early cancer diagnosis, prevention and management within the county.

Speaking during the meeting, Deputy Governor Kapkea reaffirmed the county government’s commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships, emphasising the urgent need to develop robust policy frameworks to support early cancer detection and effective disease management.

“Strong partnerships and clear policy frameworks are critical to ensuring that emerging medical fields such as genomics translate into better health outcomes for our people,” Kapkea said.

Promotive and Preventive Health Chief Officer Dr Paul Wangwe underscored the importance of identifying cancer risk factors and scaling up public sensitisation on genetic counselling.

He noted that closer collaboration with primary healthcare facilities is essential to ensure early detection and timely referral of cancer cases.

“Early identification at the community and primary care levels remains key to reducing cancer-related morbidity and mortality,” Dr Wangwe said.

Berggren noted that the partnership will prioritise enhanced communication, awareness creation and public education on cancer prevention and genetic counselling.

He added that the collaboration will also focus on capacity building and knowledge exchange between Uasin Gishu County and Moi University.

According to Professor Simeon Mining and Dr Risper Tororei from Moi University, the engagement reflects Uasin Gishu County’s growing resolve to position itself as a leader in preventive healthcare, research and innovation by leveraging international collaborations to strengthen cancer care and genomics services.

The delegation also participated in technical sessions that included an overview of the Uasin Gishu County health system, the Swedish genetic counselling model and the International Medical Programme, laying the groundwork for practical collaboration and future implementation.

Governor Bii said the county will work with all partners in the health sector to ensure residents benefit from modern approaches to tackling healthcare challenges such as cancer.