The two-year Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) aims to provide a lifeline for cancer patients who often face life-threatening delays in accessing specialized treatment. While JOOTRH currently offers chemotherapy, palliative care, and screening, it lacks a functional radiotherapy unit.

Previously, patients requiring radiotherapy were referred to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) or Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). However, these national facilities are often overwhelmed by high patient volumes, leading to long waiting lists that can result in disease progression.

Under the new agreement, JOOTRH patients will be fast-tracked to The Nairobi Hospital, where treatment is expected to commence within a single week of referral.

“This partnership is about patient-centered care,” said JOOTRH Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joshua Clinton Okise during the signing ceremony. “By leveraging innovative partnerships, we are ensuring that our patients access specialized services without the burden of long wait times or prohibitive costs.”

To ease the financial burden on families, the agreement includes a structured co-payment plan. This ensures that the high-quality radiotherapy services at The Nairobi Hospital remain affordable for JOOTRH referrals, enabling almost immediate initiation of care.

The move serves as a stop-gap measure as JOOTRH continues the process of establishing its own comprehensive cancer center.

The urgency of the partnership is underscored by sobering data from the hospital’s oncology dashboard. Between 2012 and 2025, JOOTRH recorded 4,525 new cancer cases.

The data reveals a gender disparity in the regional cancer burden, women Accounting for 54% of cases while men represent 36% of cases.

The most prevalent diagnoses reported at the facility include cervical, esophageal, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.

The MoC was formally signed by Dr. Okise and JOOTRH’s Head of Oncology, Dr. Fiona Adagi, in the presence of Ms Mariella Awuor.

Dr. Adagi noted that timely access to radiotherapy is a “critical bridge” in the treatment journey, significantly improving the chances of positive outcomes for patients who previously had few options but to wait.