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{
    "id": 1017781,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1017781/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 365,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Dennitah Ghati",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 856,
        "legal_name": "Dennitah Ghati",
        "slug": "dennitah-ghati"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to also contribute and support this amendment on this issue that is eating our country, which is cancer. Just like many of my colleagues in this House, I also have a case, as we speak, of a young girl in my village called Baby Sharon who is at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) trying to take care of a cancer situation. As usual, we Kenyans, are busy fundraising to support her through Harambee to ensure that her eye is taken care of at KNH.I wish baby Sharon quick recovery. Hon. Wanga has brought this Bill. It is basically seeking to help our people. We have thousands and thousands of sick Kenyans in the rural areas, in our villages and who do not know where to go. The distance itself, from the village of Ntimaru where I come from, for example, to Nairobi is long. Ideally, most of our national cancer centres are situated in towns. They are in Nairobi, the Capital City. You can imagine somebody who has to travel all the way to seek medication in Nairobi. The road infrastructure is terrible. They cannot reach here. This is, to me, a Bill that is seeking to give a very big relief to our people. It is because, if implemented, it is going to ensure that people in our rural areas, where we come from, are able to get the information they deserve and get treatment right in the counties. A Bill that seeks to ensure that healthcare, which is devolved in this country, continues to benefit people in the rural areas where they are based is one that deserves our attention and support. We have seen many cases of persons with disabilities. Many people who are disabled in this country are as a result of cancer. You have seen so many who are amputated. It is a result of cancer. They are many in this country. So, people become disabled because of cancer. It is a fact in this country. Statistics of such people are many. The Bill is seeking to ensure that through what we are calling telemedicine and the use of internet, our people can get information or help that they may need. This is an improved way of ensuring that our people get that information without having to struggle coming all the way to Nairobi. I come from Migori County. Unfortunately, Migori has not been making good news of late. Before I reach Migori on the Isebania-Sirare border, I pass by about eight counties. You know we border Mara to Tanzania on the other side. Whenever I am on the way, I tend to look at counties like Narok, Bomet and Kisii before I reach Migori. We see all these huge tracts of land that are lying idle. Our governors must use those huge pieces of land to ensure that they set up rehabilitation centres for cancer. Our governors must take serious the issue of cancer. The Bill is basically seeking to ensure that the so few oncologists – our research shows that in Kenya we have less than 15 oncologists against a population of 43 million people. That is quite a low number. I am happy that the Bill is seeking to ensure that the number of oncologists is increased through training. We have not done well as a Parliament to ensure that we raise awareness about cancer in the rural areas. That is why people come to Nairobi when the disease in The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}