First Lady backs fight against killer disease in counties
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has pledged support for ongoing initiatives to combat cancer at the counties.
In a message delivered by Beyond Zero coordinator Angella Langat in Nanyuki during the launch of Empower cancer clinic, the First Lady committed to continue providing free cancer screening services during Beyond Zero Medical Safaris.
The launch was part of the breast cancer awareness activities in the month of October.
“Her Excellency commits to lend her voice and support to initiatives that will steer Kenya to reduce incidents of cancer and mortality as well as improve the quality of life of those who develop the disease,” Langat said.
Mrs Kenyatta appreciated the cooperation she has continued to receive from county First Ladies, who are championing causes that promote better health and wellbeing of women and girls in their respective counties.
The Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital’s is the sixth such facility to be constructed through an initiative by the County First Ladies Association to take cancer screening, detection and treatment closer to wananchi.
Empower is an acronym that stands for Enabling and Motivating Partnerships Owned by Women who Engage and Reclaim their lives.
It draws extensive membership from health advocacy institutions among them Beyond Zero, ROCHE, Women4Cancer, Africa Cancer Foundation and International Cancer Institute.
Speaking at the occasion where cancer survivors gave emotional testimonies of their journey with the disease, Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi expressed the need for more interventions to fight cancer similar to those dedicated to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“If you look at the Covid-19 pandemic and the number of deaths resulting from the disease compared to cancer, you can see a lot of effort has been put in slowing down the pandemic. We should do the same to fight cancer,” Muriithi said.
He said his administration has invested heavily towards achieving Universal Health Coverage, noting that more than 60 per cent of Laikipia’s population is covered by the National Hospital Insurance Fund.
The county First Lady Maria Mbeneka said CFLA, which she currently heads, will remain focused on delivering healthcare services to all, especially the fight against cancer.
She appreciated Beyond Zero for providing the roadmap in improving access to healthcare services through the mobile clinics and medical safaris.
Langat said the investment in a clinic dedicated to providing screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer complements Mrs Kenyatta’s efforts in the provision of quality healthcare.
“By embracing the Empower project, she has demonstrated her support for the National Cancer Control Strategy 2017-2022 that outlines broad areas of action along the cancer continuum and the roles that all actors can play therein,” Langat said.
