Address cancer menace
What you need to know:
- A ‘cheap’ chemotherapy regime would cost Sh25,000-30,000 with the most expensive regime going for Sh500,000 per cycle.
- Most patients require six to 10 radiotherapy cycles, depending on the drug used and the type of cancer.
- With the number of people affected by this silent killer growing by the day, the government ought to standardise the cost of treatment and equip and staff public hospitals accordingly.
In Kenya, cancer kills around 30,000 people yearly while 47,000 people are diagnosed with the disease, with over 90,000 prevalent cases over the past five years, according to official data.
More than 10,000 Kenyans travel abroad every year for treatment of various ailments, especially cancer, which official data show costs Kenya about Sh15 billion.
Some of the favourite destinations for such specialised medical attention are India, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Of these, India is the cheapest and the UK the most expensive.
Basic calculations show that a patient needs at least Sh1.5 million or more to meet their treatment, medication, accommodation and other expenses, depending on the destination.
This amount is way out of reach for most of the population. However, for one to get specialised treatment more so in some high-end private facilities in the country, one has to fundraise for the treatment cost or simply wait to die.
Poorly equipped
Public hospitals are, on the other hand, poorly equipped, with the breakdown of machines and having to wait in line for even a year to be treated, due to the high demand.
The National Cancer Control Programme says treatment in Kenya goes for Sh175,000 to Sh800,000 where there is no need for an operation.
With surgery, charges range from Sh800,000 to Sh1.5 million, depending on the hospital and therapy. Even the Sh3,500 cost of one radiotherapy session at selected public hospitals is prohibitive for many.
A cancer patient would need to spend Sh70,000 at Kenyatta National Hospital on tests and surgery, before the start of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The cost of tests at private hospitals is Sh100,000 to Sh150,000.
A ‘cheap’ chemotherapy regime would cost Sh25,000-30,000 with the most expensive regime going for Sh500,000 per cycle.
Most patients require six to 10 radiotherapy cycles, depending on the drug used and the type of cancer.
With the number of people affected by this silent killer growing by the day, the government ought to standardise the cost of treatment and equip and staff public hospitals accordingly.