Medical Facility Nears Completion
Radiation therapy plays an important part in the management of cancer patients. Hospitals in East and Central Africa have previously failed to invest adequate resources into this aspect of cancer management. In fact, in countries like the Unites States of America, about half of all cancer patients receive radiation during their treatment. It is used to cure or shrink early cancer, to stop cancer from recurring or to treat advanced cancer symptoms. However, radiation is not as useful against cancer that has already spread to distant parts of the body.
An ultra-modern cancer care centre will soon be operational at one of Nairobi’s leading private hospitals – MP Shah.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a cancer treatment that enables the physician to increase the dosage of radiation to the diseased tissue while minimising radiation exposure to the surrounding healthy tissue. Another advanced radiation treatment is High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy. It places the source of high-energy X-rays as close as possible to the cancer cells so that fewer healthy cells are exposed. High-dose-rate treatments are short (usually a few minutes) and result in less discomfort than other types of radiation therapy. Because radioactive materials are not left in the body, the patient can return home soon after recovery.
Cancer Care Centre
It is against this background that the first comprehensive Cancer Care Centre was developed in Kenya. The MP Shah hospital, besides building and equipping a high-tech radiotherapy department, has also invested in a modern chemotherapy department.
Most importantly, the management of the cancer patient will have a multidisciplinary approach so that physicians, surgeons, oncologists, pathologists and radiotherapists will collectively play a role in deciding the correct mode of treatment for all patients. The lead consultant of this project was Mr Chani Lall, the Principal Architect at Chani Lall Partnership Architects. Mr Chani Lall has been working with the board of MP Shah Hospital to bring this project to a conclusion.
The project comprises two linear accelerator concrete bunkers to prevent leakage of radiation from installed machinery. The centre has a brachytherapy room, offices for consultants and administration staff, a chemotherapy department and other units besides ancillary facilities.
Finishes
The floors utilise a combination of laminate flooring, porcelain tiles, ceramic floor tiles and granite. Interior walls are adorned in a mixture of laminated paneling, ceramic tiles and paint. Exterior walls are an assortment of brickwork, fair-faced concrete, plaster and paint.
The ceilings are suspended acoustic and painted plaster boards while the windows feature aluminum curtain walling.
Challenges
Architect Chani Lall says planning such a complicated medical facility and utilising complex equipment was a challenge. “I had to travel to the Middle East and India in pursuit of technical details and to learn from other similar facilities”, he told Construction Review at the project kick-off.
