As
desperate cancer
patients possibly die, others lie on hospital beds and at homes, following
collapse of the cancer
treatment machine at Kenyatta National Hospital, it has emerged that a new
Sh218 million cancer
treatment equipment has been lying idle for over a month.
The
radiotherapy
machine known as linear accelerator secured by the tax payer has been at a
warehouse owned by Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). The facility was meant to be
used at KNH.
The
linear accelerator is idle just because the Government had not paid Sh2.3
million in licence fee to Radiation Protection Board.
Radiation
Protection Board registers, inspects, licenses and enforces compliance with the
Radiation Protection Act in all practices in the country. This is despite
construction of the facility on which the plant will sit known as the banker
which is situated at KNH having been completed in December at a cost of Sh300
million.
At
the centre of the crisis is a licence to operate the modernised radiotherapy
machine in the provision of more adequate cancer
treatment at the country’s largest referral hospital as administration rushed
to ‘repair and calibrate’ the only repairable radiotherapy
model (cobalt) acquired in 2010.
Medical
experts said the second one needs to be decommissioned after being in use for
23 years.
KNH
has only two radiotherapy
machines, cobalt model, serving at least 150 patients per day.
Even
as questions linger over why the Government kept the facility idle regardless
of the life-threatening crisis, it emerged that top Government officers were
aware of its availability and only acted after public pressure began to build.
KRA
continued to hold the facility until a licence allowing its usage in Kenya was
obtained. Contacted for comment, Senior Communications Officer at KRA Maurine
Njong’o would not immediately issue an official comment over linear accelerator
except to say, “I am out of the office currently and thus unable to give you an
official statement on that matter because I would have to consult and have no
information about the same as we speak.
However
as you know, it is our responsibility to protect the citizens against
importation of materials that would otherwise affect their well-being. We
cannot haphazardly release any sensitive item like that without certification.
We insist on certification, we must be sure it’s fit to go to the market.”
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