KDRTV News – Nairobi: Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has today 7th June 2025, issued a landmark directive for Kenya’s top-tier healthcare institutions. He instructed all national referral hospitals, the Social Health Authority (SHA), and the Digital Health Authority (DHA) to establish formal partnerships with Centres of Excellence in cancer care, a move set to transform oncology services nationwide.
Speaking at the launch of the Cyclotron 11 MeV machine at Nairobi West Hospital, CS Duale highlighted how these partnerships will enable resource-sharing, reduce treatment delays, and standardise care protocols across both public and private sectors. By aligning expertise and equipment such as PET/CT scanners and advanced radiotherapy units – Kenya can drastically cut waiting times and stray away from single-point failures like the recent LINAC breakdown at Kenyatta Hospital.
Duale also unveiled plans for a “digital superhighway” under the Digital Health Agency’s Comprehensive and Integrated Digital Health Information System. This platform will integrate patient records, lab results, and treatment schedules in real time, eliminating duplication and improving diagnostic accuracy. The domestic production of radioisotopes like Fluorine-18, thanks to the new cyclotron, further empowers early detection and personalised therapy.
With cancer claiming nearly 30,000 lives annually in Kenya, these initiatives mark a decisive leap toward making the country a regional hub for health excellence and medical tourism. Public-private partnerships, CS Duale stressed, are crucial to offering affordable, high-quality care without undue financial burden on patients.
