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"content": "Moreover, I did not object when Hon. (Dr.) Pukose was speaking, I know that this is a national kind of Bill. It is a national function, strengthening the national blood transfusion services. He said every region has a regional blood transfusion center. What is the point of talking about national issues when health is a devolved function? Why are we not talking about strengthening our counties? Why are we budgeting for health in our counties when we cannot afford to strengthen our counties and enable all our referral hospitals like Migori Level 5 have services that actually donate blood in the most efficient manner? It was only yesterday that we actually debated the Finance Bill. You saw services to do with healthcare in this country, you know those machines for health, cancer, HIV/AIDS and so on, are services as per the Finance Bill, which have been zero rated. This is to mean that health is a function being strengthened. What is the point of us strengthening nationally when we cannot strengthen the various functions at the devolved units that we have? I want to say that this is a good Bill and as you are aware, Kenya is a signatory to the World Health Assembly. Now, the World Health Assembly urges countries to put together mechanisms that ensure that healthcare is guaranteed especially healthcare equipment that deals with blood transfusion. Therefore, I know many of us here have received blood in one way or the other or have actually donated blood in one way or the other. Moreover, you can see the pain in this country and especially during this period of COVID-19 when the country was locked down and when you are told that you need blood in Nairobi and your relatives are in mashambani and they could not afford to come to Nairobi to offer blood. Therefore, for me this is a good Bill and it is one that will ensure that our healthcare system is working. A healthy nation is a working nation or a working nation is a healthy nation. Therefore, for me the Departmental Committee on Health has literally spoken to so many Kenyans who are suffering. Kenyans are suffering in hospitals. When you get admitted in a hospital by virtue of you being an MP in a VIP lounge and you see families struggling to mobilise one another to donate blood in this country, it is pitiful. It is annoying and it is not good. I have been seeing those situations so many times when I am at the hospital. What we need to do now as Dr. Pukose was saying is to create that awareness. How do we ensure that we create awareness around issues of blood transfusion and blood donation so that Kenyans really know that it is okay to donate blood? It is okay to give blood. In addition, how then can we also ensure that even as we strengthen the healthcare system we are ensuring that the eight regional blood transfusion centers are effective and working 24/7? This is because it is one thing to say we have six referrals hospitals in every province in this country, yet a person in Migori for instance cannot access the nearest service in Kisumu. Therefore, what we want to do is to reduce the time. How then can we reduce the time that our people waste and spend between being sick and going to Kisumu or Mombasa? I want to say that this is a good Bill. It is one that is protecting the interests and it is one that is coming at a time that we are talking COVID-19. Healthcare has been affected by COVID- 19. It is a Bill that has just come from when we are reading the budget. It is one that has come when we are talking about the Finance Bill that has actually tried to zero rate on healthcare equipment and healthcare material. This is a good Bill and allow me to support it. Thank you."
}