HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 6792,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/6792/?format=api",
"text_counter": 350,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr. Monda",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 83,
"legal_name": "Robert Onsare Monda",
"slug": "robert-monda"
},
"content": "Kenya’s scientists need more understanding of cancer to enhance prevention, early diagnosis, better treatment and improved care to patients, both during and after treatment, leading to delivery of high quality cost-effective cancer services. The country needs to develop a cancer strategy which can only be done in the Cancer Institute that will be endowed with the capacity to do research. Therefore, the cancer strategy will be the one to indicate the cost of attending to the cancer levels that we have in this country. This strategy will come up with programmes to both improve cancer outcomes and also ensure service delivery. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to indicate that - I am not shy to say it - at one time as I worked in Meru as a new graduate from the University, my own mother suffered cancer. I had to stop working for a whole month, come to Nairobi and we did all we could. All we managed to do was to have her last in a hospital for one month and we had already drained all the resources for the young people who had just started working. In 30 days, she was over and dead. Since then, the experience I have had, not because I am a Member of Parliament, which I know is the experience for every Kenyan is that, all you will afford to do when cancer strikes is to lose all that you have and you may not be lucky. After losing all that you have, you then lose the patient. This morning, I left Parliament to visit a cancer patient in hospital and because we are ill prepared to handle several of the cancers that we have in this country, the patient is headed to India. So, we are being asked to fundraise. For how long are we going to stay without addressing this concern? The concern we are addressing through this Bill is that we need to be prepared. I do not want to stop until I have said one or two things about the actions that we need to take to improve cancer outcomes. We must take steps to prevent cancer. Before we talk about treatment, we must prevent cancer. Some of the areas include changes to lifestyle. I have already talked about lifestyle in the line of gynecology and reproductive health. We need to change lifestyles that make us susceptible to cancer. We need to improve our awareness in the country. Smoking is the single largest preventable risk factor for cancer and we need to tell the country this. This needs to be mentioned in our Bill and also in the Act if it sees the light of the day. There is evidence linking obesity to cancer. Therefore, we need to address ourselves to the food that we put our families to. Excess alcohol consumption is strongly linked to an increased risk of several cancers. Once we create the institute, we shall be advised on the role of cigarettes, excess consumption of alcohol and sexual lifestyle to cancer. Skin cancer incidents increase reflects patterns of behavior. Research has shown this. Our people should be aware what it is that we do with our skin and then skin cancer strikes us which is also quite common around. We need to raise public awareness of the cancer risk factors through the civil society. Every player in this country needs to do what it takes to make every Kenyan aware of the risk factors of cancer. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another area that we need to address to improve the outcomes is diagnosing cancer early. Some of these will come under the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Institute. Early diagnosis of cancer will increase the chances of cure. Late cancer diagnosis, as I have already said, is the major factor contributing to poor cancer survival rates. Screening is vital to diagnosing some cancers early. I want to congratulate the Government here that some funds were set aside for acquiring equipment, be it by the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation or the Ministry of Medical Services, both Ministries should address the disease. The Government allocating funds for the acquisition of cancer screening equipment is a step in the right direction, so that we can detect cancer in our health centres, dispensaries, hospitals and all health facilities in this country. That will reduce the detection of cancer when it is too late and difficult to save the victims. We should make it compulsory to screen cervical, breast, prostrate, bowel, lung and other cancers through the National Cancer Research Institute that I have talked about. If this Bill becomes law, then we shall have asked the Government to provide a service where there would be screening of the population every year, so that we can reduce even the losses that we incur in terms of treating cancers that are detected late. The National Cancer Research Institute will have to come up with the common cancers and the screening of the same cancers will have to be done every year and, at least, every Kenyan undergoes some screening. A national awareness on early diagnosis initiative will help raise public awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer to encourage victims seek early treatment."
}