A section of Nakuru leaders have urged the county government’s department of Health to roll out a cancer awareness campaign programme to curb the ever-increasing cases of the disease.
Bahati Ward MCA Peter Mwangi and his Kiamaina Ward counterpart, Samwel Kamau both from Bahati sub-county said the disease is unknown by most people in their remote areas hence the need to educate them on the dangers of the disease especially among women.
Reacting to a recent cancer campaign in the county, the MCAs said a majority of women were dying from the killer disease especially from cervical cancer since it is not diagnosed at early stages.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, the MCAs said the disease could be treated if detected at its early stages, and that it was high time the people in the county got reliable information on it and its treatment so that they could voluntarily visit hospitals for examination Saturday as we mark cancer sensitisation campaigns in Nakuru to know their status.
According to the county’s Director of Health Services, Dr Mungai Kabii, 65 per cent of the county’s population of 1.2 million, live in the rural areas and echoed the leaders’ sentiments that a vigorous campaign against the disease should start immediately.
He revealed to the press on Friday that a cancer study report conducted in 2014 at the county hospital revealed that 98 cases of cervical cancer were reported with 19 deaths for the same.
“We have now decided to carry out vigorous sensitisation campaigns to the locals so that they can go for an early screening to avoid increasing deaths”, he said.