Thika Level 5 Hospital warns of an increase of cancer cases in Thika.

Mount Kenya University Council Member, Consolata Kiragu hands over a dummy key to Senior Thika Level 5 Hospital staff during the handing over of a Kshs 5 million Ablution block to the hospital.

The number of people afflicted with cancer has regrettably risen in Thika, Thika Level Five hospital superintendent Dr Patrick Nyaga has warned.

Nyaga says that many people living in Thika community have been suffering in silence while many others who have not gone for screening could know about their fate late when the disease has ravaged them.

Calling Thika community to attention that the fatal disease has come and urgent interventions ought to have been performed, the doctor said that cancer is only likely to get to many who are unscreened in the coming years.

He said that lack of a cancer centre at the facility could be blamed for late screening of many people in Thika.

Speaking during a ceremony where Mt Kenya University handed over Sh 5 million worth of an ablution block to the hospital, Nyaga said that the institution has been referring patients to Nairobi before they are further referred to India for treatment and care.

To ease the cost burden of many patients living with the disease, Nyaga unveiled plans by Thika Community to set up a Thika Cancer Care Centre with a diagnostic wing and information department by the close of this year.

Consequently, the hospital has organized an awareness twenty-one-kilometer marathon on August 11 which is expected to raise between Sh 15-20 million for the ambitious project.

“We are saying this cannot continue. We are asking people to live a healthy lifestyle, exercise, look at their diet and participate in helping those who are affected by contributing the little they have to set up Thika Cancer Care Centre,” he said.

He called on all Thika citizens to collaboratively stand up and be counted in the war against cancer. “It affects us all both directly and indirectly,” he said.

The marathon, according to Nyaga will be shared into three, a five-kilometer family walk, ten-kilometer fitness and the twenty-one-kilometer competition.

A huge camp set at Thika stadium and Thika Level Hospital to screen people for cancer and raise awareness about the deadly disease in the country.

“The centre will be for anybody walking from the street. People will get screened and attached to care centres existing in the country. We however have a future plan of setting up a treatment centre so that those screened do not have to go out,” he said.

Dr Josephat Njuguna, the principle college of health science at MKU lauded the 10-year-long relationship between the varsity and the facility.

Njuguna said the university will gladly partner with the hospital in its endeavors to bring awareness on cancer issues

He said that MKU will continue to partner with the hospital for better health care to the community adding that the university will soon set up a cold room at a cos of Sh 5 million to preserve bodies at General Kago funeral home which the university constructed a few years ago at a cost of Sh 300 million.

“We are enjoying this relationship and we hope it will continue growing to ensure we have enough staff to take care of our health. We will also partner with the hospital to raise awareness on cancer issues,” he said.

According to new global cancer data, the cancer burden has globally risen to 18.1 million cases. Last year alone according to World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 9.6 million cancer deaths were recorded globally.

WHO suggests that one in five men and one in six women worldwide develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in eight men and one in 11 women die from the disease with population growth, ageing, late detection and screening cited as major factors behind it.