When the pills run out: A cancer patient's fight reaches critical point

At dawn on Monday, in a modest Nyeri home, Gatamu Waigwa swallowed his final dose of the medication that had kept his stage three prostate cancer in check. For the 70-year-old retired anaesthetist, it was a moment of quiet dread.

After four months of pleading with the Social Health Authority (SHA) for support, his struggle for life-sustaining treatment has reached a critical point.

His request is straightforward: a Sh55,000 hormonal injection that could slow the advance of his illness. Yet the solutions offered by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and SHA CEO Dr Mercy Mwangangi, he says, fall short of his medical needs.

For 120 consecutive days, Waigwa’s life has been defined by a relentless routine. Rising at 4am, he boards a matatu to Nairobi, then spends the day outside SHA’s offices, sometimes until dusk, waiting for a breakthrough. His most recent visit, on August 6, was particularly urgent.

“I went back to SHA offices just to beg for my life,” he told Nation in a telephone interview yesterday morning, moments after taking his final tablet. “I had counted my remaining abiraterone and other medication and knew I would run out completely by August 11, 2025.” He was right. On Monday, just as he had calculated, the drugs were gone.

Oncology benefits package

Waigwa’s predicament centres on a shortfall between promised and actual support. SHA advertises a Sh550,000 oncology benefits package for cancer patients. But Waigwa has received only Sh400,000 — which is now exhausted. He says he needs a further Sh200,000 to cover his remaining treatment.

His immediate needs include a 12-weekly dose of Zoladex LA, costing Sh55,000, other drugs totalling Sh98,200, and medical tests amounting to another Sh50,000. According to online pharmacy MyDAWA, Zoladex LA contains goserelin, used to treat prostate cancer.

Administered under the skin of the stomach every 12 weeks, it is a depot injection — releasing the drug slowly over time. Cancer Research UK explains: “Goserelin is a type of hormone therapy called a luteinising hormone blocker (LH blocker). It stops the pituitary gland from releasing luteinising hormone, which in turn stops the testicles from producing testosterone. Prostate cancer depends on testosterone to grow, so reducing or stopping its production slows the cancer’s growth or shrinks it.”

At a recent press briefing, Dr Mwangangi outlined SHA’s policy: “Under cancer care, Kenyans are eligible for Sh550,000; this covers all types of cancer. The journey of a cancer patient starts with diagnosis, so SHA reimburses the necessary tests and biopsies before defining a management plan. Care then involves chemotherapy cycles, capped at Sh550,000. The patient highlighted by Nation still has a balance in his cover, and we are willing to help. He just has to dial *147#.”

CS Duale suggested Waigwa consider SHA’s “Lipa Pole Pole” option linked to the Hustler Fund — a loan facility for medication costs. When Waigwa followed these instructions, he received a text from SHA: “Your SHA cover is active till 09/06/2026. Select a financier to proceed: 1 Hustler Fund — daily Sh11, weekly Sh75, monthly Sh300. Total to pay is Sh1,200.”

SHA did act on part of his request, Waigwa acknowledges. “They activated Sh55,000 remaining in my oncology package — money meant for lab tests, scans, imaging, X-rays — and redirected it to medication that will only last me a month,” he said. But they refused to fund his hormonal injection. “My life depends on Zoladex to shrink the cancer so I may live longer.”

The retired medic, who spent 40 years in public health, is blunt in his assessment of officials’ responses. “After Nation highlighted my plight, the SHA CEO responded in a way designed to skirt around the issues, perhaps to please shareholders,” he said.

Chronic and Critical Illness Fund

“Mr Duale rushed to X to water down my pain, frustration and suffering, apart from attacking Nation for covering my case, instead of directing SHA to provide my injection and medication.”

Waigwa is now urging lawmakers to intervene. “Parliament and Senate need to review SHA policies, which in my view are designed to rob patients,” he said.

His voice tightens when describing the toll of his illness: “This is my sixth year battling cancer. The disease has drained my savings and resources as a retiree, yet I still need money for food and transport.”

He also questions SHA’s funding promises: “They said they increased the oncology package to Sh550,000, with Sh150,000 from the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund. But it is all hot air.”

When contacted, SHA’s Director of Benefits, Design and Claims, Dr Tracey John, told Nation: “Following the earlier enquiry, the client was able to access further treatment for July/August, which SHA approved. Moving forward, a team led by the CEO is looking into the issue and will communicate in due course.”

As of yesterday, Waigwa’s situation has reached a breaking point. “This means I have to fund-raise to save my life because, to be honest, I have nothing,” he said. SHA has confirmed that a review is underway, but with no set timeline. In the meantime, Waigwa continues his exhausting daily journeys from Nyeri to Nairobi — now without the medication that has kept him alive.

Waigwa’s needs are immediate. He requires medication worth Sh92,800 and the Sh55,000 Zoladex injection to sustain him. Contributions can be sent via M-Pesa to 0725208828 or Paybill 8024348, Account Name: GW.