Kisumu: Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) has entered into a partnership with The Nairobi Hospital to provide subsidised radiotherapy services. The deal offers fresh hope to cancer patients at the Kisumu-based facility who have long endured delays in accessing specialised care.
According to Kenya News Agency, the two-year Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) aims to bridge a critical gap at JOOTRH, which currently provides chemotherapy, cancer screening, and palliative care but lacks a functional radiotherapy unit. Until now, patients requiring radiotherapy have been referred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) or Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). However, these national facilities often face overwhelming patient volumes, resulting in long waiting lists that can allow the disease to progress before treatment begins.
Under the new arrangement, JOOTRH patients needing radiotherapy will be fast-tracked to The Nairobi Hospital, where treatment is expected to commence within a week of referral. ‘This partnership is about patient-centred care,’ said JOOTRH Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Joshua Clinton Okise during the signing ceremony. ‘By leveraging innovative partnerships, we are ensuring our patients access specialised services without the burden of long waiting times or prohibitive costs,’ he added.
To ease the financial strain on patients and their families, the agreement introduces a structured co-payment plan, making radiotherapy services at The Nairobi Hospital more affordable for those referred from JOOTRH and allowing for immediate initiation of care. The partnership is a stop-gap measure as JOOTRH works towards establishing its own comprehensive cancer centre.
Dr. Okise highlighted the urgency of the deal, reflected in data from the hospital’s oncology dashboard, which shows that between 2012 and 2025, JOOTRH recorded 4,525 new cancer cases. Women accounted for 54 percent of the cases, while men represented 36 percent. The most commonly diagnosed cancers at the facility include cervical, oesophageal, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
JOOTRH’s head of oncology, Dr. Fiona Adagi, praised the partnership, stating it would alleviate the suffering of cancer patients undergoing treatment at the hospital. Timely access to radiotherapy, she noted, is a crucial bridge in the cancer treatment journey, and the new partnership is expected to significantly improve outcomes for patients who previously had little option but to wait.
