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{
    "id": 1109127,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1109127/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 90,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Omogeni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13219,
        "legal_name": "Erick Okong'o Mogeni",
        "slug": "erick-okongo-mogeni"
    },
    "content": "House. They approach us with the hope and belief that the Senate would find some solution to the problems that they are facing. Mr. Speaker Sir, as we know, health is a devolved function in our Constitution. This is a matter that is squarely within our mandate. If we were to have an honest conversation, Kenyans are suffering. Health has become a serious problem. I do not know what experiences other Senators have, but every week, we are confronted with cases of bodies detained in hospitals. Our own constituents are not able to meet the medical expenses. We are reducing some Kenyans to look like they are not human beings anymore. If I give you an example of my own county, the body of somebody called Andrew Gechiko Akuma is detained at Teneki Hospital. He has a bill of Kshs558,000. The hospital has refused to release that body for the last six weeks. How do you detain a Kenyan’s body for that period and there is no intervention from the Government? I have even raised this matter with the Principal Secretary (PS). Lawyers who are in this House know that there is no property in a dead body. Therefore, when these Kenyans tell us that they incur between Kshs400,000 and Kshs1,000,000 for treatment, it is a matter that calls for the attention of this House. These are not the only classes. If you are in this House and lucky to have parents that have attained the class of senior citizens, aged 70 years and above, you know that most insurance companies do not want to insure this group of Kenyans. Some of them are former Members of Parliament (MPs). NHIF does not cover a number of illnesses for this cadre of Kenyans. These are people who have served this country; they are vulnerable and their earning power has since gone down, but we do not care. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I hope that even as we look at this special class of people who suffer from this condition, we can also address the plight of our senior citizens, Kenyans who are over 70 years. If you go to the United States of America (USA), the Medicare takes care of Americans above 65 years for free. You will be treated in any hospital and the government will meet those medical expenses. If you go to Australia, if you suffer from cancer and have a prescription and go to a private chemist, you just present the bill and the Government meets those expenses. The fact that we are privileged to have a medical insurance cover that can take care of our treatment should not make us forget the plight of our people."
}