Kenyan Doctors to Undergo Specialized Cancer Training in the UK

The government of Kenya will send a team of doctors to the United Kingdom to undergo specialized cancer training.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the move is part of the government’s efforts to make cancer screening, early diagnosis, and treatments like radiotherapy and nuclear medicine more available, in addition to increasing the number of cancer treatment specialists in the country.

The first cohort of Kenyan cancer treatment specialists is set to travel to Christie Hospital and the Manchester University in the United Kingdom as part of a pact between Kenya and Britain.

Kagwe said the initiative is meant to build capacity in the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases in Kenya with a special emphasis on cancer.

The Health CS is leading a Kenyan delegation in touring Nightingale Centre and Northwest Heart Centre, The University of Manchester, the Christie Hospital, Manchester University Foundation Trust, and the Manchester Cancer Research Centre as the two countries move to the implementation phase of two key agreements in the health sector signed in July last year.

Kagwe said the programme will improve the standard of healthcare in Kenya through research, workforce training, and the education of healthcare professionals. The programme will initially focus on improving cancer outcomes through early detection, rapid diagnosis, and the delivery of high-quality care.

"One of the changes we need to make is that when we get into research, we need to have shared benefits once completed. I’m convinced we have opportunities in which we can all share in eventual benefits of our research findings. Research agreements made years ago are no longer viable," CS Kagwe said.

Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya after infectious and cardiovascular diseases, accounting for about 10 percent of all disease mortalities. An estimated 48,000 new cases and 27,000 cancer deaths occur each year.