Page 33 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 5

HEALTH & WELLNESS

he is fully appraised but turns ondly, farming employs majority cient diagnostic and treatment
a blind eye when he financially of Kenyans and thus is the equipment congruent to the
incentivized. In other words, the largest contributor to our econo- population they serve. But if
politician is either oblivious or my. Each farmer we lose means we don’t fix the pipes leaking
compromised and the investor/ that our economic output will with cooking gas, we will keep
supplier is laden with conflicts inevitably decline. But the Can- building more fire stations but
of interest to help us solve this cer Investor/Supplier will tell the explosions will persist.
malignant calamity. you “better” jobs will be created Remember CANCER IS PRE-
Likewise, it’s foolhardy to elsewhere to pick up the slack. VENTABLE, and thus we need
expect the suspect to help you They will tell you that more doc- to do proper research to estab-
with establishing the cause; he tors, nurses and technicians will lish the link between Glypho-
will point you to the convicts. be needed and therefore more sate in Weed Killers and rising
Tobacco is a convict but there’s schools and teachers training cancer cases in Kenya. We
no evidence that smoking has them and the economy will might agree with California that
gone up in farming communities do just fine. This is what I call Glyphosate causes cancer and
in Kenya. Aflatoxins are convict- Disease Capitalism in my book help World Health Organization
ed but cereals’ farming is not
a new practice in Kenya and
thus does not explain the new
cancer rates explosion. Calci-
um carbide is a jailbird but the
urban population is at a higher
risk due to artificially ripened
fruits than the farming commu-
nities. In a figure of speech,
let’s handle one case at a time
and focus on this suspect that
California, U.S. has listed as
cancer causing chemical as is
IARC-World Health Organiza-
tion with caveats.
Kenya and Africa is paying
heavily for this myopic ap-
proach to preventable diseases
like cancer. First, there is an
untold pain and suffering by our
fellow human beings when can-
cer strikes. There is the emo-
tional toll on family members
as they helplessly watch their
loved ones waste away regard-
less of whatever medical inter-
ventions they try, not to mention
the financial burden weighing
on them. The government tells Dollar Altar, where the economy state in definite terms what it
them to get NHIF card instead thrives on the backs of the sick currently classify as probable
of find out what’s killing us. and the dying. (it’s 2nd highest rating) and
The right to health does not I am saying that we shouldn’t save millions of lives while at it.
only mean that we should have find a way of treating those
access to healthcare but the already sick. Not in the least. A CALL TO ACTION
government is obligated to keep Kenyatta National Hospital GOVERNMENTAL AND INSTI-
our air, water and food free of and devolved referral facilities TUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
poisons and pollutants. Sec- should be equipped with suffi- All public health officials at-

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