By Antynet Ford
AAR Hospital has slashed fees for tests related to prostate cancer screening in a move aimed at encouraging men to check their health status as part of activities to mark the November Men’s Health Awareness Month.
The Kiambu-Road based hospital has cut by 30 percent the renal bladder ultra sound charges to Sh7,000 from the usual cost of 10,000.
The level five private health provider has also reduced abdominal pelvic ultra sound charges by Sh1,500 to Sh6,500.
Dr. Samuel Ogombe a urologist at the AAR Hospital, Kiambu Rd. observes that Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among Kenyan men.
Symptoms of the disease include feeling of incomplete bladder emptying, a weak urinary stream, increased frequency of urination especially at night and blood in the urine.
Symptoms in patients with advanced prostate cancer may include weight loss, low appetite, anemia, bone pain, leg swelling and weakness or numbness in the legs.
“The presence of these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have prostate cancer, it is important to visit your doctor for further evaluation,” notes Dr Ogombe. He adds that in some patients, prostate cancer is diagnosed during screening, before symptoms develop.
The November Men’s Health Awareness Month aims at raising awareness on men’s health issues including mental health, prostate and testicular cancer. AAR Hospital has additionally reduced the cost of stool occult from 1,100 to 900.
Dr Ogombe observes that though the cause of prostate cancer is unknown; the disease is dependent on the testosterone hormone, the male sex hormone that enables it to grow.
The incidence of prostate cancer rises with age, with the average age of diagnosis being 65 years.
Black people have been found to have the highest risk of developing prostate cancer.
Family history is also important in assessing risk of the disease, with men who have had a brother or father diagnosed previously standing a higher chance.
Dr. Ogombe advises that prevention of the disease involves following a healthy balanced diet, avoiding tobacco, watching weight and exercising.
AAR Hospital in the month of October cut the cost of screening for select types of cancers, in some cases by more than half, to mark the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
In August AAR Hospital conducted free screening for diabetes, after which patients were given the option to register for treatment clinics at the hospital or any health center of their choice.
