Church urges Kenyans to seek treatment locally
By George.Kebaso, February 21, 2023The Seventh Day Adventist leadership in the country has asked Kenyans to jealously guard local investments, especially in the health sector to reduce their medical footprint abroad.
The President of the General Conference of SDA Church East-Central Africa Division, Pr Dr Blasious Ruguri said the amount of money shipped out of the country in the name of seeking treatment abroad is enormous and can be reinvested in the country’s health sector.
Speaking in Nyari, in Westlands, Nairobi during the unveiling of a range of modern medical equipment for the Nairobi Adventist Hospital, Ruguri further challenged Kenyans to change their attitude toward the local medical outlets. “Before you consider a ticket to fly out of the country for treatment abroad, check what our hospitals are offering. I am asking you to check with the Nairobi Adventist Hospital or Karura,” he said before unveiling the Computed Tomography (CT) scan and C-Arm machines procured by the Karura SDA Church at a cost of Sh40 million.
And the lack of such equipment according to Ruguri, is what takes Kenyans outside the country for advanced cancer treatment.
Hidden capacities
“But now since they are here, is a statement that Kenya is becoming a medical tourist destination,” he said, emphasising that image change is a vision for the Adventist hospital to trigger thinking, hidden capacities and capabilities among other aspects. “We are making this a deliberate move, to grow in everything to the global standards,” he added.
Ruguri emphasised that the unveiling of the imaging machines is yet another milestone for the country’s health sector, which is committed to making project Kenya a medical tourist destination.
“The cost of treating and managing critical conditions, especially in Africa could be high, but as a church-based hospital we can find ways of subsidising by having discussions with the patients about how to come in and help,” he said.
Unveiling machines
According to Edward Mwaniki, the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, with the unveiling of the machines, the facility is now ready to offer quality and affordable radiology services. “We have been referring our patients to other facilities, and it’s not good for them. However, now that we have this equipment we can even get patients from across the country,” he explained, as it emerged that more faith-based hospitals are complementing the government’s efforts in fighting cancer among other chronic ailments.
“Early screening and detection have been hailed as game-changers in managing such diseases, and as a hospital we are prepared for the task,” he added.
In a bid to bring the services closer to the people, hospitals are investing in state-of-the-art equipment hence reducing the time and resources used to seek such services. The equipment, Mwaniki noted, is part of the effort to bring services closer to the people and offers early screening for easier management of diseases.
Kenya is currently battling with the increasing cancer burden, exerting strain on populations and health systems. Reluctance to early cancer screening has been termed one of the leading causes of late detection and increased mortality among Kenyans.
The disease was recently described as a national crisis with 75 people dying from the disease daily, while 115 are being diagnosed every 24 hours.
According to National Cancer Institute (NCI) board chair, Dr Githinji Gitahi, 60 percent female are diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer, while 40 percent male are screened positively for prostate and oesophagus cancer.
“It’s a crisis,” said Gitahi at the first ever National Cancer Summit in Nairobi, early in the month.