President Uhuru Kenyatta has inaugurated the first publicly-owned comprehensive Integrated Molecular Imaging Centre for the diagnosis and treatment of Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa. The new Centre is a major milestone for the fight against Cancer in Kenya.
The center was built through a partnership between the locally owned GE Healthcare’s entity and Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH). The Center will provide lifesaving equipment for Cancer care from screening and diagnosis, to staging, to determining the correct treatments. This will support the improvement of cancer survival rates and serve patients across Kenya.
Critically, it will also enable more cancer research to be carried out, offering the potential for KUTRRH to become a leader in cancer research in the region.
In Kenya, Cancer is the third leading cause of death, after infectious and cardiovascular diseases. Statistics show that over 40,000 new cases of cancer are detected annually in the country. Many patients however do not catch the Cancers early enough due to the lack of diagnostic capacity for early detection, one of the most critical factors in survival rates. Survival rates for stage 3 and 4 of cancer are around 30% in Kenya, compared to early detection survival rates of more than 80% in markets with access to advanced technology.
This new Center will address this challenge in particular, with the goal of bringing earlier diagnosis and increased survival rates for Kenyans. In addition, it will reduce the cost of seeking diagnosis and treatment abroad, which can be cost prohibitive for patients and families. It will also reduce negative pyscho-social impact to patients and families caused by the necessity of traveling abroad during a time of sickness.
Through the partnership with GE Healthcare, KUTRRH was able to create its own radioisotopes imaging agents locally for use at the facility and with additional capacity to service the Eastern Africa region. In addition, the Center is equipped with molecular imaging equipment including PET CTs to create 3D imaging of the inside of the body and help highlight areas of cell activity. The SPECT CT / Gamma Camera helps show the blood flow to tissues and organs and can identify tumors and a 256 slice CT and 3T Silent MRI.
GE will additionally partner with KUTRRH to provide specialized, on-the-job training for the Center’s team over an 18-month period. The opening of this Center may also enable more specialized cancer research to be carried out, offering the potential for KUTRRH to become a leader in cancer research in Sub Saharan Africa.
Speaking at the launch, Eyong Ebai, General Manager of GE Healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa said, “This world-class project is built to help save lives. It was built by our local and international experts’ teams on the ground in partnership with the KUTRRH team and I am so proud of the milestone we have reached today. Our team will continue to support and grow, bringing increased accessibility across the Sub-Saharan Africa region.”