Kenya’s First Lady, Mama Rachel Ruto, concluded her US tour with a call to John Hopkins University to expand its partnership with Kenyan health institutions to include fight against cancer.
The First Lady who was accompanying President Dr. William Ruto during the state visit to Washington made the call at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Centre, where she met with experts to learn about their community-based efforts to promote cancer screening and help navigate patients through their cancer journey.
John Hopkins University is already in Kenya’s health care system through its affiliated international NGO JHPIEGO. However, its work in Kenya has largely been focused on the fight against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Cancer, one of the leading non-communicable diseases worldwide, is a pressing concern for every country. Cervical and breast cancers, which are reproductive cancers affecting women, contribute to 23 percent of all cancer-related deaths in the country. Women in low-income areas, as well as in arid and semi-arid regions, face additional challenges in accessing critical testing and screening services.
Mama Rachel Ruto appreciated ongoing support to improve access to cancer treatment in Kenya, including the donation of two radiotherapy machines through the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Rays of Hope Project.
A partnership with the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Centre would increase access to screening services and improve the quality of life of cancer patients in Kenya through evidence-based strategies for prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care.
