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The government on Wednesday announced two actions following the public outcry on cancer in Kenya.
Health CS Sicily Kariuki officially inaugurated the board of directors for the National Cancer Institute at her Afya House office in Nairobi.
CS Kariuki also announced that chemotherapy treatment will now been availed in seven county referral hospitals in the country.
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"Kenyans are now able to access chemotherapy in 7 county referral hospitals - Mombasa, Kisumu, Kakamega, Garissa, Nyeri, Nakuru & Meru.
"Three more hospitals namely: Embu, Bomet & Machakos are set to start offering chemotherapy services in September this year," the CS stated.
Worrying statistics on cancer cases in Kenya
The CS acknowledged the severity of the cancer menace in the country that has sparked public outrage over recent past weeks.
"Cancer & other NCDs are a threat to public health. Cardiovascular diseases are the second leading cause of death after infectious illnesses accounting for 13% of all deaths while cancer is the third leading cause of death contributing to 7% of deaths.
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"Kenya it is estimated that 47,887 new cases of cancer are detected and 32,987 people die annually. It is further approximated that there are 3,200 new cancer cases among children below 18 years," she stated, reiterating a recent report by the NCI.
She further urged the institution to increase efforts in raising awareness of the disease and mobilizing various institutions to curb its spread.