Category: HEALTH

It’s always said that health is wealth. ITs for this reason that one entrepreneur came up with a unique idea geared towards health promotion in a bid to prevent diseases especially through the dietary approach.

Njeri wa UJI is a household name that all Kenyans can nowadays relate with. Njeri wa UJI was the original pioneer to come up with nutritious-rich porridge which was later Christened UJi Power.

Njeri has helped several families more so through her dietary advise that has seen many people either regain, reinvigorate and restore their health.

Her uji is carefully blended using naturally selected products and served by a welcoming service from her professional team.

She called upon Kenyans to continue being mindful of what they consume and more so embrace the natural uji and other natural unprocessed foods.

Njeri wa UJI is reachable on her phone number: 0714130630.

Various stakeholders and activists have been amplifying their voice in condemnation of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). They have been calling for concerted efforts and urging stakeholders to work in synergy to eradicate the barbaric and outdated practice.
The latest to add her voice in castigating the FGM is Kwale Woman leader Nimusimu Mwasina who says:

“FGM has been rampant to the extent it’s being done across borders.The government has to take stringent measures to ensure that this vice is done away with. Since FGM is now being done across borders, there’s need for our country to interlink with the concerned neighbouring countries and work together in fighting FGM through the relevant Departments, International organizations and Non Governmental Organizations. Cross border security is also crucial in dealing with FGM at that level.”

In recognition that FGM is not only a harmful practice but also a violation of human rights, Kenya has adopted a robust legal framework.
The country has ratified several international legal instruments that have become part of Kenyan law as provided for in Article 2 of the Constitution and the enactment of the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, 2011.

The law provides the framework for public
engagement and advocacy for accelerating the eradication of FGM. The Children’s Act, 2001, Section 14, criminalizes the subjection of a child to harmful cultural practices. This statute
gives parents the responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the child. The Penal Code, Chapter 63, also outlines offences under which circumcisers can be charged.

The Protection against Domestic Violence Act, 2015, classifies FGM as violence, and provides for protective measures for survivors and victims of domestic violence, including FGM. Goal 5.3 established in the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals, aims to eradicate FGM by 2030

Tobacco contributes to 25% of all #cancer deaths! It’s the primary cause of lung cancer & contributes to cancers of the bladder, blood, bone marrow, cervix, colon, kidneys, larynx, liver, mouth, pancreas, rectum, stomach & throat.
Joel Gitali Chairman of Tobacco Control and Health Promotion Alliance says:
“This is a very sad situation. One expects the this information to influence how tobacco control is handled in the country. By dealing with tobacco, we shall be preventing 25% of deaths caused by cancer in the country. The percentage is even higher when you consider deaths caused by other tobacco related conditions that aren’t cancer. Given the disease burden to the country, efforts should be directed at preventive medicine.

We should not allow all these suffering that can be tackled. By implementing tobacco control laws and policies in the country, we save lives, improve the economy and conserve our environment. It’s one single thing that contributes to the attainment of all SDGs. The increasing mental health problems attributed to tobacco use, opening of floodgates to drug abuse and escalating violence have got something to do with increased consumption of tobacco and other nicotine products. We can do better.

We are tired of rhetoric. Tobacco control Fund is being handled very reluctantly and in an opaque manner. Now we are told funds from tobacco related revenues will be put in the National Social Health Insurance Fund. We are worried that the usual cartels in the ministry will divert to uses that give them an opportunity to steal. The government must be serious with issues tobacco control. We can keep releasing statistics that do not inform our decisions.”

Texas Cancer Center Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr Catherine Nyongesa has called for urgent measures to address the shortage of oncologists in the country.
This comes in the backdrop of the ever increasing cancer cases. Dr. Catherine Nyongesa says:

“Cancer is one of the most pressing health issues that women face nationally since 60 % are reported in women with breast and cervical cancers taking lead.
If the growing shortage of oncologists is not addressed, it could have serious implications on outcome for cancer patients.”
Currently, cancer is amongst the Top 3 killers in Kenya, coming only 3rd to infectious and cardiovascular diseases. It is estimated that the incidences of cancer have risen by 29.4% in the last decade from an estimated 32,000 to 47,887 new cases annually.
The deaths caused by cancer have also risen during the same period from 28,500 to 32,987. These are not just numbers, they are families grieving, breadwinners lost, children orphaned and empty dinner seats, heartbroken widows and widowers not to mention the financial distress that accompanies the treatment and funerals.
The cancer scourge in Kenya has proven that it is not just a health problem but also a socio-economic problem that behoves all of us to reflect on what we can do to fight it. It is for this reason that on this aptly themed day the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) have decided to highlight one of the major gaps in Cancer management in Kenya which is the poorly organised and managed human resources for healthcare.
KMPDU represents 10,000 doctors working both in public and private sector and it is well-positioned to tell the country what really ails the crocodile, I beseech the nation not to ignore the alligator.
Kenya has 12,000 registered doctors, 14,000 Clinical Officers and 58,000 nurses serving a total population of 54 million. Out of these, there less than 100 oncologists (cancer treatment specialists) translating to a ratio of 1 oncologist for every 540,000 Kenyans!
This acute shortage coupled with the multiple county and national strikes by healthcare workers due to delayed salaries, lack of career progression and long working hours have contributed to the worsening of the number of cancer deaths in the country.
While it is true that Cancer is a global problem, some types of cancers have nearly been eradicated in some parts of the world through intentional investments on screening, vaccination and early diagnosis and treatment programmes.
These are the low-hanging fruits that Kenya can start working on. Cervical cancer, which is the leading cause of death in Kenya, claiming almost 9 lives daily is for example preventable through vaccination and treatable when diagnosed early. The challenge is having an adequate number of well-trained, motivated and resourced personnel to carry out such activities.
Training a cancer specialist is not cheap, be it a nurse or a doctor and that is why the constitution envisioned training to be a national function of the Ministry of Health. Let the Ministry use the Cancer status report to work out the human resource staffing needs and then hire the much-needed health workers.

Biomedical Engineers in the country have urged the government to consider enhancing their capacities so that they are at par with the sophisticated modern equipment.In an exclusive interview with B.Eng.Millicent Aloo HSC , the Secretary General for the association of Medical Engineering of Kenya, AMEK, she said there are so many gaps that ought to be bridged.
“Time and again we see the government taking medics for further training but the biomedical engineers are usually left out. We are calling for the government to involve and engage us so that our Biomeds can be factory-trained on the repair and maintenance of the modern cancer equipment which keep evolving technologically. This will ensure uninterrupted service delivery to the clients. We have the capability yes, but the factory training is the most paramount..”
B.Eng Alooh also reiterated the need to employ more biomedical engineers at county level as there’s acute shortage of biomeds making it difficult to have specialization on cancer equipment.
“We need more biomedical engineers employed to maintain these equipment ,so many qualified biomeds are jobless yet the work is overwhelming for the few who are employed,we need to support the government to provide seamless service to our cancer patients by maintaining these cancer equipment, therefore employ the biomeds”

Details are emerging that cancer cases might reach one million by 2030.
Catherine Nyongesa, the Founder and Director of Texas Cancer Center says:

“Unless steps are taken to reverse the trends of cancer , the annual cancer deaths in sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya among them)will likely reach 1 million by 2030 and incidence will likely double again by 2040. This is according to a comprehensive report by The Lancet Oncology commission.”
The National Cancer Institute had earlier on alluded that 46 per cent of cancer cases in Kenya are at advanced stages; National Cancer report shows cases in children under 18 years account for two per cent, Nairobi and Nakuru among five counties with highest cases.

Following the rising cases of cervical cancer which is very prevalent among women and girls, private players are throwing their weight behind the fight against the scourge.
Texas Cancer Center led by the wise leadership of Dr Catherine Nyongesa they have been on the frontline in advocating for a cancer free nation.
In an interview with CitizenWitness Digital, Dr Nyongesa the founder of Texas cancer centres called for early screening in a bid to prevent the cancer.
She at the same time hailed the government’s efforts to avail HPV vaccine for young girls saying this is a great milestone in fighting this preventable disease.
“We welcome the Government’s gesture to fight all types of cancer and more specifically cervical cancer which we have been focusing on in the month of January. We are urging all girls and women to embrace screening at an early stage on order to avoid it. They should also avoid multiple sex partners saying it’s a predisposing factor.”
She reaffirmed her commitment to join hands with other stakeholders in a bid to wipe out this disaster of cancer.