Kisumu County Improves Cancer Data Management: Strategic Collaborations and Capacity Building Drive Progress

In the April, May and June quarter report , Elijah Omondi, a National Cancer Registrar for Kisumu County, has highlighted significant strides in improving cancer registration and data management. His work focuses on strengthening collaboration with key stakeholders and building capacity within the county’s health system.

The report details a series of high-impact meetings with both public and private sector leaders:

A meeting with the County Governor, Hon. Anyang’ Nyong’o resulted in a commitment to integrate cancer data initiatives into county health programs and explore budgetary allocations. This is a crucial step towards securing the resources needed for effective cancer control.

Mr Omondi’s engagement with the County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Health secured an agreement to issue directives to all health facilities, aiming to improve compliance and strengthen the flow of data to the national registry.

 At Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital in Kisumu, a review of reporting trends led to the appointment of a dedicated focal person for cancer registration. This has already improved the timeliness of data reporting and established a framework for ongoing review and improvement.

To ensure comprehensive data, Omondi met with private hospital stakeholders, including Aga Khan Hospital Kisumu. This engagement has led to increased participation from private facilities, with a number of them requesting further training on data confidentiality and registry use.

A key component of his strategy was capacity building. Training sessions were conducted at Western Kenya Heart and Cancer Hospital Kisumu for a range of health professionals. The sessions focused on essential skills such as cancer registration procedures, ICD-O coding, and the use of reporting tools. He also developed and distributed simplified “Cancer Data Collection Guidelines” to all reporting facilities, providing a standardized and easy-to-follow resource.

These efforts are vital for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of cancer data, which in turn informs public health policies and resource allocation, ultimately improving cancer care and outcomes for patients.