Nyongo criticises Uhuru statement on cancer centres

Nyongo criticises Uhuru statement on cancer centres

Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o has criticised the government’s plan to have cancer centres set up across the country.

His sentiments follows President Uhuru Kenyatta’s announcement on Friday of plans to set up additional chemotherapy and radiology labs countrywide

“We seem to be laying a lot of emphasis in building cancer centers ….what is important about cancer is getting people who are specialized in the different types of cancer,” said Nyongo.

“We have a long way to go….we can build cancer centres but without specialists we will not know how to run the equipment,” he added.

This comes amid calls from across the country to step up the fight against cancer that continues to claim lives.

According to Nyong’o who has battled with prostrate cancer; research, education and specialization is the way to go.

Speaking in Kisumu during the funeral service of the late Joyce Laboso, the Kisumu Governor insisted that what the country needs is to work towards developing human resources which will help us treat cancer.

“She (Laboso) was in remission, most of us are in remission, we just don’t say it,” said Nyongo adding that building the centres is important, but unless investment is made in training specialists and research, then “we (Kenyans) are going nowhere”.

Governor Nyong’o was diagnosed with prostrate cancer in July 2010 at MP Shah Hospital where he had gone for a routine medical checkup.

He was the then Minister for Medical Services.

His diagnosis only became public in January 2011 when local dailies carried his story while he was at the University of California San Francisco Zion Medical Centre for radiotherapy.

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