Written By Ramadhan Kambi 📝
With reports that over 200 women in Kilifi County suffer from different cancer illnesses, more than 400 people turned out at Kilifi county referral hospital for cancer screening exercises.
The exercise was organized by Kilifi county government and Mombasa Cancer Centre.
Out of the 230 women there are 150 women having cervical cancer while 80 are suffering breast cancer.
Kilifi county nurse in charge of cancer unit Lilian Saidi said last year the numbers were below compared with this year adding that this was as a result of cancer screening which is being done in different hospitals within the county.
She said they experience challenges whereby a patient will be screened and turned to positive but due to myths the patient decides to go for a witch doctor only to come back to hospital after the cancer reaches an advanced stage.
Kilifi county referral hospital superintendent Dr Eddy Nzomo said they have partnered with other partners like Mombasa Cancer Centre to conduct free cancer screening as a way of encouraging people.
Nzombo said they have sent doctors and nurses for training so that they will be able to handle such screening and also handle them once they discover them.
He said at the moment they refer the cancer patient to Coast general hospital and also to Mombasa cancer Centre.
Mombasa Cancer Centre Oncologist Dr Riaz Kasmani said they have received a higher number of people in Kilifi than their target of 200 people.
He said they were screening cervical and breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men for free.
Kasmani said over 80% of the cancer patients who seek medication for their cancer are at stage 4 where it becomes a challenge to be fully cured.
He said they have formed WhatsApp groups so that they can encourage each other and also to remove the myths about cancer so that they can be detected early and be able to be treated.
He said many people have been concentrating on cervical and breast cancer leaving behind other cancer cases.
Mulika Saratani organization founder Florence Kitsao said there is a gap between the cancer patient and the hospital.
She said many people visit the hospital but due to poverty level and also lack of enough doctors and also equipment they keep postponing the patient.
Kitsao said there is need for more sensitization and also cancer screening and also in different hospitals.
Christiane Nafasi, a breast cancer survivor, said there is a need for the county government to sensitize and also conduct cancer screening so that those cases can be detected early.
Nafasi urged the people to visit the hospital and be able to follow the instructions from the doctor and be cured.
She warned patients against going for spiritual people to be prayed for or going to the witch doctor adding that they will not heal the cancer.
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