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{
    "id": 1143100,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1143100/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 332,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Makueni, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Maanzo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2197,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
        "slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this very important Bill. There are very many community workers in the realm of health across the country who have not been taken care of and in most cases, have been volunteers. Other than midwifery, which my grandmother did for free for many years in Makueni, there are many health workers especially in Makueni, who are volunteers. They work in the community. They assist people to make sure more people are born. A lot of times, it is an emergency situation since the ambulances or the known health workers are not easy to reach. These people are skilled out of having been trained from generation to generation and they know what to do in case of an emergency delivery to save the life of the mother and the child. There are also community health workers especially in the Maa Community who have never told any other community the secret in the event of a snakebite which are so many in the country. Unfortunately, there is no longer compensation although I brought a Bill to this House to make sure that people who have snakebites and die or are injured out of it are compensated. When snakebites happen in many parts of the country, before anybody is given first aid or before they get to any hospital, the community health workers have been very useful. In the Maa Community, they have a plant or some treatment they administer and even from a very dangerous snakebite, that person will never get admitted and they will not lose their life. Unfortunately, we have so many lives lost elsewhere for lack of that technology or lack of a community-based person who knows what to do in case of a snakebite, what to use and how to save the life of that particular person. These are very useful people, who in a way, must be regulated, coordinated and probably trained. They should share that technology, most of which is earned from traditions and from old times and passed on from generation to generation. It is not conventionally taught in health institutions, universities or anywhere. That community knows that knowledge and they know what to do in the event of a sickness and how to prevent it. Ordinarily, it is usually on first aid basis before that person reaches a hospital. A lot of times it saves a lot of lives. So, there have to be a framework of dealing with these people and a lot of times they have gone unappreciated. A lot of times, that knowledge has gone untransferred because they know what herbs to use to deal with allergies or situations which can be held at first aid level. We should have a way of letting them known in their communities and having some registries as has been proposed here. Also, getting them trained and to train others to pass this knowledge and a lot of times, getting them sponsored. We will be missing something especially when it comes to traditional medicine in this country. I believe this is a very important Bill at this particular time. Without repeating what the other two Members who have presented before me have said, it would be very important to have a recognised system funded by the Exchequer. I have been well informed by the Mover that there is a similar Bill to this in the Senate. When we move ours as the National Assembly and the Senate moves theirs, we will modulate and get a good law to deal with community healthcare workers. That was the only challenge I was foreseeing legally, but I have realised that we have taken care of that aspect of the law and the Constitution. Article 43 of the Constitution clearly states that health is a right to every Kenyan. We as the legislators and the Government have been tasked to ensure that this is achieved, so that we can serve our people and save lives. Community healthcare workers save lives. Life is very important. 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."
}