By Elijah Gichunge

Picture by Hilda Nthiga

Deputy Governor, Titus Ntuchiu presided over the meeting between the National Treasury Public Private Partnership (PPPs) Unit and the County Health Department at the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital.

The National PPPs Unit led by the Senior Deputy Director, Judith Nyakawa, and Tuimising Ronoh, Legal Expert, came to train the health stakeholder on the establishment of the County PPPs Node and Project Appraisals.

This comes after the County government's proposal to the National Government that appealed for support to establish and equip Cancer Center at the MTRH, was approved.

Meru Governor, Kitaitu Murungi had while in his quest for gubernatorial seat, promised to establish a Cancer Center in Meru, over the alarming cancer cases in the region.

Ntuchiu pressed that the County administration is considering to engage on social investments that will maintain the affordability of the services provided, through a long-term approach of establishing a Cancer facility. He said the leadership is more concerned on the treatment costs for the disease and its growth curve in Meru. This is why the Governor thought of a long-term approach that would curb the cancer threat.

While the Cancer treatment is much easier and effective if detected early, the Deputy Governor advised the people not to wait until the disease manifests, but rather seek early screening services which are available at the MTRH.

To aid the fight against cancer, the CEC Health, Misheck Mutuma said the County through the office of the First Lady, Priscilla Murungi induced the Generation Plus Program to enhance the cancer awareness. Through the program, numerous community level cancer screening activities have been conducted and cases identified were recommended for attention.

On her part, Nyakawa pointed out that people have greatly changed the living styles and eating habits that have made them susceptible to the disease which he termed as being an issue in Kenya. She said through it is through a multidisciplinary team that would create a basic framework for this fight, through proper terms of reference and capacity building. She expressed hopes that the project will be effective also to address president Kenyatta's Universal Health Coverage agenda.

The County is keen in fighting this menace which really impoverishes people. one major step done by the government is employing a clinical oncologist to help the patients who comes from as far as other neighboring counties to MTRH seeking treatment and other services.

According to Health planning and Policy Officer, Dr. Kihono Kanja, Meru's catchment goes beyond the scope as it not only serves patients from Meru but other counties. The department has geared in towards reduced cancer incidences, morbidity and mortality in the County to ensure there's access to prevention, early detection, quality diagnostic treatment and palliative care services by the year 2022.