Health CS Aden Duale says that the government is ramping up its efforts to make cancer treatment more easily accessible in Kenya under its universal health coverage agenda.
Speaking during the National Cancer Summit in Nairobi, Duale further said that cancer treatment centers are already running in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Kiambu, Nakuru, and Garissa to relieve patients who travel long distances for treatment.
He underscored continued effort in prevention, including free HPV vaccination for 9–14-year-old girls and more screening at the community level for breast, cervical, and prostate cancers.
Over 24 million Kenyans are registered in the Social Health Authority (SHA) where their cancer diagnosis and treatment are subsidized to a maximum of KSh 550,000 per year.
Duale also announced a partnership with Roche to offer breast cancer patients free access to life-saving HER2+ treatment, with no co-payments.
The CS said diagnostic services are also being scaled up, with more CT scans and mammography machines being installed in counties.
He called on counties to prioritise cancer care in their budgets and urged the public to support early detection and fight stigma around the disease.
