By THUKU WA GICHINGA
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Five years ago, then-Nyeri County Executive for Health Charles Githinji made a revelation that shocked local leaders and residents.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nyeri had the highest diabetes prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa, at 12.6 per cent — more than double the national rate of 5.6 per cent and well above the 8.5 per cent global average.
Diabetes, specifically type 2, and other lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, cancer and heart and kidney diseases have become the leading cause of premature death among Kenyans. A 2016 survey by Broadway Bakery Ltd revealed that every Kenyan had lost a family member, friend or colleague to one of these diseases.
Quite worrying, from WHO’s statistics, is that the majority of victims are aged 30 to 70. This age bracket accounts for most families’ breadwinners and comprises the most productive segment of our society.
It’s encouraging that health ranks high on our national and county governments’ priority lists. A lot of resources are going towards fighting lifestyle diseases with facilities such as cancer treatment, dialysis and ultra-sound scanning machines finding their way into more and more hospitals. But these efforts do not seem to match the increasing demand for them.
KIDNEY DISEASE
Take kidney disease, for example. Patients queue for dialysis because the demand for the service outstrips the available machines. The procedure is expensive and financially draining since it has to be undertaken over a long period or even for life. For many, transplant is out of the question due to the high cost and stringent organ donor requirements.
Prevention is better than cure. This simple but often-ignored statement could be the most effective weapon in the war against lifestyle diseases. Whereas a lot of money is budgeted for building and equipping hospitals, little is dedicated to preventive measures.
Research by the National Kidney Foundation of America shows the two leading causes of kidney failure (end stage renal disease, ESRD) as diabetes type 2 and high blood pressure. Besides, advanced diabetes can lead to stroke, heart failure, blindness, amputation and paralysis while uncontrolled hypertension can cause stroke and heart failure, among others.
If these conditions are diagnosed early and managed well, patients can live near-normal lives without complications. Then why are so many succumbing to related complications?
The ‘hit-and-run’ annual awareness initiatives are ineffective. In most cases, these events are spearheaded by NGOs and volunteers. There is little — if any — input by the national and county governments yet they should be the drivers of these campaigns.
Blood sugar and pressure tests cost very little. Out of their health budgets, the governments should consider investing more in testing kits and deploying more community health workers to ensure the most vulnerable (if possible, all) Kenyans are tested regularly. If detected early, patients should be taught how to adjust their lifestyles, manage their conditions, avoid complications and live normal, productive lives.
Cancer screening may be a bit more expensive but cannot be compared to the financial, physical, social, emotional and mental cost of treatment. Those with a family history of cancer should especially be encouraged to go for regular testing.
This would mean shorter queues of people seeking expensive treatment, easing of pressure on hospitals and ultimately, a healthier society.
The Health ministry must revise its strategy and invest more in prevention — which would, in the long term, give better returns than pouring money into expensive equipment.
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