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{
    "id": 1121352,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1121352/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 97,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for this chance. Sometimes I wonder how difficult will it be for those of us in leadership, be it the Legislature or in the Executive to decide to have a general attitude and simply focus on the needs that are most pressing on the citizenry? For example, things to do with health and specifically focus on diseases that ordinarily pick on people who do not have the ability. If they do not meet the cost of medication then, it is a difference between life and death. Two or three weeks ago, I brought a Petition to this House from citizens living with autoimmune diseases which are almost similar to these challenges of sickle cell. The simple request which the Petitioners are making which is close to what Sen. Nyamunga has requested and wants know from the Committee is, can we not use our National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover to ensure that we put parents of these young people, or even those who have gone to adulthood with it, under Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC)? So, that on every occasion when they visit hospitals and they have these institutions that accept NHIF as a means of payment, they are treated and they go back home peacefully. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on many occasions, you will find all these people come back and plead to us. I know out of personal experience that, at least, each one of us in this House knows one, two or more parents who are faced by this challenge and cannot meet the cost of this medication. Therefore, they result to calling upon us once in a while, saying their child has had an attack so please see what you can raise. Of course, out of human nature, you will mobilize a little resource for them. I believe we can properly organize NHIF. It is good because that Act is before this House. This should be part of the reason for the Committee on Health to expedite and ensure that we do not go on the long recess in the month on December before concluding business on the NHIF Act so that it addresses some of these issues like the auto-immunity diseases and the sickle cell disease so that we expand the base. I have read through the economic model that is being proposed by the Deputy President, Dr. William Ruto about the bottom up approach. It makes absolutely no sense for Sen. Okong’o Omogeni, who earns Kshs1 million to pay Kshs1700 just like any other ordinary citizen who is below Kshs40,000 per month. It is not fair. I believe those of us who earn more should pay something not so exorbitant but at least slightly better that will ensure that NHIF has more resources to take care of needy Kenyans such as the ones that are sending this Statement via our colleague Sen. Nyamunga. Therefore, I hope as a way of answering this Statement, the Committee will also find in its place to expedite the conclusion of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (Amendment) Act that is before this House so that we can appropriately reform NHIF and ensure that we cover as many Kenyans as possible. Mr. Speaker Sir, look at the miracle that happened when they started to pay for patients of renal failure. Many of them are able to access dialysis services in our county referral hospitals and it has been a big change to them. It is the difference between life and death to many of them who would have, otherwise, never meet the cost of treatment"
}