Nairobi County in deal with US medical tech company BD to advance cervical cancer care

American multinational medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has partnered with the Nairobi County Health Ministry to launch a large-scale mobilisation of women for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) screening using BD's newly FDA-approved self-collection technology.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH), the National Cancer Institute of Kenya (NCI-K), the Nairobi County Government, and Healthstrat, this initiative seeks to raise awareness and improve access to cervical cancer screening for women in Nairobi, particularly in marginalised and underserved communities where the disease burden is highest.

It aims to transform cervical cancer prevention in Kenya by empowering women to self-screen in a private, safe, and convenient setting, breaking down long-standing barriers to access.

The success of this mobilisation relies on the efforts of over 700 community health promoters (CHPs) who support MoH’s broader Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goals.

“By working with community health promoters, we continue to ensure that women can access the kits and crucial information to fight cervical cancer. Our mandate is to partner in executing the Ministry's strategy, focusing on early detection and capacity building across the healthcare system,” Healthstrat CEO Andrew Nyandigisi said.

Irene Muchoki, Chief Officer of Medical Services for Nairobi County said, “This is a significant milestone in the fight to eliminate cervical cancer in Nairobi and Kenya at large. The role of CHPs in reaching vulnerable populations is crucial to achieving Universal Health Coverage and addressing health inequities in urban and rural areas.”

“This HPV self-screening mobilisation marks an important step in the ongoing efforts to reduce cervical cancer mortality rates and the cancer burden in Kenya and highlights the importance of partnerships between private sector innovators and government health bodies in tackling the country's most pressing healthcare challenges,” added Caitlin Asjes, BD's Senior Global Director for Public Health.

According to the NCI-K, cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Kenya, with an estimated 3,211 deaths annually.

Globally, cervical cancer claims the lives of over 341,000 women every year, 90 per cent of those deaths occurring in low- and lower-middle-income countries like Kenya.

Despite the availability of effective screening methods, efforts to combat the disease in vulnerable populations have been hindered by cultural stigmas, limited access to healthcare professionals, and infrastructural challenges.