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{
    "id": 1081760,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1081760/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 251,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Wilberforce Oundo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13331,
        "legal_name": "Wilberforce Ojiambo Oundo",
        "slug": "wilberforce-ojiambo-oundo-2"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, looking at the Bill, there are still great challenges. Unless the Bill as well as the Committee go into details or unless we find a way of mobilising, educating and enticing people to donate blood, the full-fledged department or corporation will be a continuous addition to the very many State corporations that do not seem to add any value to the lives of Kenyans. Therefore, I urge the Committee to relook at the Report and the Bill to find some ways - I am sure there are best practice cases all over the world on how we can entice, encourage and generally support those who are willing to donate blood. They are very many, but they are never reached and enticed. That is why when you look at the services or the functions allocated to county governments, they are so shallow and underwhelming. Considering the fact that county governments run most of the hospitals in this country because almost 80 or 90 per cent of health services are devolved functions, I hope when we come to the Committee of the whole House, we will give county governments more work in respect of this blood transfusion. You cannot talk of universal healthcare and improved health services if you are unable to provide blood in the event of emergencies or crisis. So, there must be a way of making counties centres of blood donation, so that they can mobilise people to donate blood. When you go to Clause 28, which sets out the assignable services, I suppose that at that particular moment, we will have to deal with that matter because, again, it is inadequately drafted. It requires more meat and to be more amplified. As we assign several functions to various organs or institutions to provide blood, the Bill seems to have no reference to unethical practices. There have been too many unethical practices in this country. Sometimes back, blood donated in Kenya was found in Somalia. Many times, blood donated in Kenya is found in Uganda. Many times, when people are requested to donate blood in the event of emergencies, they require financial incentives yet the Bill seems to provide that blood donation should be voluntary and there will be no remuneration. What do you expect one to do in the event of an emergency when all his or her relatives and friends are unwilling to donate blood by coming up with excuses like they are intoxicated, creating false high blood pressure or that they are a category that cannot donate blood? Probably, there must be a provision in this Bill to allow commercialisation of blood donation because we are going to an era where you have private hospitals and it would be unfair for them to participate in a public blood bank yet they do not wish and are unwilling to participate or support the infrastructure. I would also expect the Bill to create a fund where private medical practitioners, since they will have to tap into the blood bank, will be required to pay something towards the fund to assist in the mobilisation of donors and storage of the blood that is donated by people of various categories. One of the issues that my colleagues have indicated on why many people fear to donate blood is the stigma associated with blood tests and being told that you are either HIV positive, your blood is contaminated by hepatitis or whatever it is. Unless you communicate to potential donors that whatever information they will give you will be maintained in strict confidence, many of them will be willing to donate blood where they are not known, so that whoever will test their 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."
}