Kenyan President on Tuesday launched an ultra-modern cancer center in the coastal city of Mombasa as his government aims to avail critical cancer treatment within the country.

For years, many Kenyans seeking cancer treatment have been forced to travel to India for the critical healthcare, denting their pockets financially.

In Tuesday's launch ceremony of the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital Cancer Center, President Kenyatta said the facility was just one of many his government plans to avail.

"We are doing all this to ensure wananchi have unfettered access to quality health services. We are doing these things not only in Mombasa but across the country,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Health, cancer is the third leading cause of deaths in Kenya after infectious and cardiovascular diseases.

The annual incidence of cancer was estimated at 47,887 new cancer cases, with an annual mortality 32,987 in 2018.

Among men, prostate, esophageal and colorectal are the leading cancers, while among women, breast, cervical and esophageal cancers are most common.

In his address in Mombasa, President Kenyatta pointed out that Kenyans seeking cancer treatment in India need approximately Kshs 2 million (about 17,605 U.S. dollars), which is too costly for many citizens.

He noted that the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital Cancer Center, alongside the government's National Hospital Insurance Fund, would see patients access such critical services at much lower costs.

The center, which is expected to cater for cancer patients in the region and beyond, becomes the second public facility of its type in Kenya after another was launched at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital in Central Kenya.

(With input from agencies)