Reprieve for Cancer Patients as Homa Bay Signs an MOU with Aga Khan Hospital
By Habil Onyango
The County Government of Homa Bay on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Aga Khan Hospital Kisumu for the East Africa Comprehensive Cancer Project (EA-CCP).
The project is set to significantly enhance and expand the quality, accessibility, and capacity of our cancer treatment services at the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
It will focus on screening, vaccination, and treatment, including chemotherapy for breast and cervical cancer.
According to County Governor Gladys Wanga, the initiative will benefit not just Homa Bay but the entire region, marking a transformative milestone in our healthcare system.
“We extend our sincere appreciation to the Aga Khan Foundation, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the Gates Foundation for their crucial partnership in this vital project,” said Wanga.
Wanga revealed that at the moment, the County Department of Health is unable to provide chemotherapy services, but according to the program, they will be able to offer such services in the next three weeks.
“In the next three or so months, our Health Department will start offering chemo services for our people and others from other parts of the country,” she said.
“This is a very big step moving forward through the partnership with the Aga Khan Hospital, AFD, and the Gates Foundation,” said the Governor.
She, however, advised the locals to go for early screening of cancer for early detection, saying prevention is better than cure.
“As a County, we are implementing Universal Health Care where we are putting a lot of emphasis on Primary Health Care and Community Health, and we are happy with the program which will be supporting community engagement and sensitization and screening so that both cervical and breast cancer, which are common in the region, can be detected early to avoid unnecessary deaths,” said Wanga.
According to the Aga Khan Hospital Chief Executive Officer Jane Wanyama, the project is estimated to reach 1.8 million people.
She said that as partners, they will be participating in research programs which will give informed information to help in coming up with strategies that will improve the situation of cancer in Homa Bay and other parts of the country.
“We are excited that Her Excellency Governor Wanga, together with other County leadership, have assured us of their support in a journey towards tackling the cancer situation in this region,” said Ms. Wanyama.
“We have signed an MOU which shows our readiness to get started and be part of the County for the next four years, and we trust that at the end of the stipulated timelines, we will be able to look back and say indeed, we have been able to achieve what we really started by reaching out to over 1.8 million people in this region,” she said.
“We will work closely with the community, religious leaders, and the general public to raise awareness on cancer and the importance of early screening and early detection, which will lead to effective treatments for better outcomes,” she added.
Overview
Homa Bay faces challenges related to cancer, particularly Kaposi Sarcoma, an HIV-related cancer.
The county has a high HIV prevalence, which contributes to this burden.
While statistics on overall cancer incidence in Homa Bay are not readily available, a study indicated low breast cancer screening uptake among women, with 9.7 percent and 9.6 percent having undergone screening in an intervention and control group, respectively.
