Kenyan women leaders to champion fight against cancer

Female representatives in Kenya's National Assembly and the Senate pledged on Tuesday to spearhead the fight against cancer and other non communicable diseases in the east African country's 47 counties. Cancer has become a national crisis in Kenya and is responsible for high mortality rates, economic and social disruptions in the country. "Women leaders will take a frontline in raising awareness on the threat of cancer to our health systems, the economy and social harmony. Our target is the grassroots where information on the disease is scant," said nominated Senator and breast cancer survivor Beth Mugo. Kenya's female representatives in both the Senate and National Assembly are mandated by the constitution to advocate for social programs including education and health. Mugo noted that grassroots communities are still grappling with a high disease burden that has sapped their productivity. "According to the ministry of health, cancer ranks third among causes of death after infectious and cardiovascular diseases. It contributes approximately 7 percent of total mortality every year, " Mugo said. The former minister for public health and sanitation has been a leading advocate for increased funding for the fight against breast cancer. "It is scientifically proven that early diagnosis minimizes the intensity of cancer in a patient's body. We as women leaders will mobilize Kenyans to go for regular cancer screening," she said. The new campaign against cancer will target 500 women in every county to have them screened and treated. Mugo added that this exercise will ensure that targeted groups have the right information to disseminate in social forums. Cervical cancer and breast cancer are to blame for rising toll of deaths among women of child bearing age in Kenya. Government statistics indicate that 34 out of 100,000 Kenyan women have breast cancer due to changing lifestyles which have exposed younger women to the disease. Besides sedentary lifestyles, genetics and exposure to chemicals increase the risk of cancer among men and women. Catherine Nyongesa, a leading Kenyan oncologist, emphasized that equipping health centers with modern diagnostic equipment alongside adoption of healthy lifestyles will reduce cancer burden in Kenya. "We need to invest in both hard and soft ware to detect and manage cancers. Other necessities include training more cancer specialists and deploying them to the counties," said Nyongesa. Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Health James Macharia reaffirmed the government's commitment in the fight against cancer. "The full implementation of the cancer act is on the cards and the government intends to establish a cancer institute to guide research and policy related to the disease," Macharia added.