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{
"id": 6787,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/6787/?format=api",
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"speaker_name": "Dr. Monda",
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"speaker": {
"id": 83,
"legal_name": "Robert Onsare Monda",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in terms of personnel, the country has only four radiation oncologists, six medical oncologists, four paedriatic oncologists and no trained surgical oncologist to handle the 41 million Kenyans in terms of screening, diagnosis and treatment, whether it is through chemotherapy, radiation or surgical catheterization. When you look at these numbers of experts in the discipline of cancer intervention; when you look at these numbers of experts in the area of cancer you realize that we are quite poorly prepared to handle it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the picture is worse when you look at the support staff. There are only five radiation therapy technologists, two oncology nurses and two medical physicists, who support the doctors when attending to this condition. In this country, there are no referral hospital facilities that treat cancer. This makes the country even worse because any case of cancer detected or suspected at a district and provincial hospital has to be referred to KNH for attention in terms of confirmation of the disease, and then the treatment intervention. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are over 30 hospices and palliative care centres supported by the Government, NGOs and faith-based organizations. The country has a high physical limitation and low level of awareness on cancer among the public, in terms of signs, symptoms, treatment options, risk factors and prevention measures. Most patients present themselves for diagnosis at an advanced stage. This is because of unavailability of health facilities in various parts of this country. In this Bill, we are proposing that cancer registry and treatment be devolved, so that we have a registry at the level of a county. We should have a cancer registry treatment centre in every county. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, even where there is possible cancer treatment, the hospitals may not have the medicines, and where the medicines are found, their cost is very prohibitive. It is clear that all the hon. Members, I am sure, have been consulted, asked for advice and have raised funds for diagnosis, so that a patient is able to be examined. We try to raise funds when doing this is quite impossible for many families in this country. The situation calls for other people’s contributions, so as to raise funds for patients. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, looking at the numbers that we have talked about, it is not practical that fundraising will be able to effectively cover the patients we have in this country. So, it is clear that treatment of cancer is expensive and has led to the impoverishment of many families in this country."
}