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{
    "id": 1021674,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1021674/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 250,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kabondo Kasipul, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Eve Obara",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13352,
        "legal_name": "Eve Akinyi Obara",
        "slug": "eve-akinyi-obara"
    },
    "content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I also rise to support the Bill. We have been told, and we can see that this Bill is an amendment to provide guidelines for the Cabinet Secretary to manage referral cases so as to prevent the abuse of the process. Many cases have been cited here today of patients who have gone to India, most of the times, for the simple reason that the cost of treatment is manageable. I know of several cases where the cost of a medical procedure in India was a fraction of what it would cost in Nairobi, air travel inclusive. You actually pay a fraction. With the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last six months, I have also come to realize that this country is teaming with experts in various areas. Go to the Nairobi Hospital Specialist Clinic and you will find three floors of nothing but specialists in different areas. Go to the Aga Khan Hospital and you will see the same. Even in Eldoret, where Dr. Mishra comes from, you will find an old street of nothing but specialists. What we need now is the mindset that we can use the specialists in this country for the benefit of our citizens. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, at the same time, the Committee on Health needs to establish why people travel out of the country to seek medical treatment. Why do they prefer to go to India, for instance? It is because of the prohibitive costs at some of local hospitals. If you go to Nairobi Hospital and check the cost of some simple procedures, you will wonder why. Maybe, this is something the Committee on Health can start looking at. Why must Kenyans who go to Nairobi Hospital be charged so much? The facilities at private hospitals can only be there if people do not go to Kenyatta National Hospital, where the queues are so long that one might not even get a chance to be attended to. Therefore, this is something the Committee can look at. How do we manage the costs of treatment at some of the hospitals that we have to ensure that they are not part of the cartels that we are talking about, Dr. Mishra? This is because they are behaving like cartels. Why are they charging so much that Kenyans cannot even afford to go for treatment, if they do not have an insurance cover? Secondly, I have noted that the Bill recognizes the critical role that the national Government plays in health care services with a view of improving the services. Again, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, what have we seen? The counties have been exposed. What we thought were properly managed health services in the counties came to be nothing. I am happy that it is becoming clear that the standard setting role of the national Government in health care services is critical. What do they have with the monies they are being given? Have you seen what has happened during the COVID-19 pandemic? The authorities in every county government said they had 300 beds but, when an audit was done, it was found out that all that was said was a lie. That is 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."
}