• Ng’ani says chronic diseases will supersede all other causes of death in Kenya by 2030
• If authorities ignore dangers posed, healthcare system will be overstretched, he says
Image: WANGECHI WANG'ONDU
Kenyans have been urged to go for regular medical check-ups as chronic diseases rise.
Diseases like dementia, arthritis, asthma, hypertension, cancer and diabetes pose a big threat to the Kenyan population.
Victor Ng’ani from the Ruai Family Hospital says if the authorities continue to ignore the dangers posed, the healthcare system will be overstretched.
“The Kenyan health system has always been more anchored on dealing with infectious diseases like malaria and HIV,” he said.
“There is little emphasis on enhancing policies that can prevent the prevalence of chronic diseases.”
County governments have also focused on on building health facilities rather than addressing the issue, he said.
An expert report by the National Strategy for Preventing and Controlling Non-Communicable Diseases found a worrying prevalence of chronic diseases.
More than half of all hospital patients are suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes, stroke and hypertension, it said.
Ng’ani warned that chronic diseases will supersede all other causes of death in Kenya by 2030.
“Early detection of diseases is key and can help save on many other issues, especially if it is cancer,” he said.
In a case study of a 12-year-old child in Nairobi, regular medical tests were encouraged after the child’s parents discovered that she was suffering from sickle cell disease at the age of two.
The child’s father, Arthur Okal, said early tests led to the diagnosis of the disease.
He advised parents to take their children for regular medical check-ups to prevent future disasters.
“We discovered that she was suffering from sickle cell disease at the age of 2, when we did medical tests at VIPS Health facility in Woodley, Nairobi,” he said.
Boniface Opondo, also from Ruai Family Hospital, said the child will now undergo bone marrow transplant in India to be cured from sickle cell.
“We discovered this case because of a thorough medical check-ups, and I’m advising parents to practise regular medical tests to ensure their children live a health life,” Dr Opondo said.
According to the Ministry of Health, the rising cases of non-communicable diseases, particularly in young people, is contributing to a decrease in Kenyan household incomes by a third.
The increase led to the country launching a five-year national strategic plan in 2021 to aid the control of NCDs, with the aim of reducing premature deaths by a third.
The plan recommends strengthening and widening public-private partnerships to combat NCDs.
It also calls for community-based interventions, such as screening at community level for early diagnosis.
Other recommendations are training community health volunteers to educate people on the dangers of risk factors, such as alcoholism and tobacco use.
It also advises establishing a national regulatory framework to promote healthy diets.