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{
    "id": 1147450,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1147450/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 75,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank her for bringing up this issue because World Hypertension Day is important. Article 43 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, states clearly that access to the highest quality health services in this country is a basic human right. The Bill of Rights is important in our Constitution, 2010. High blood pressure is a silent killer. As she has put it, it is not only killing the mighty, but also ravaging our villages. The worst part is that most people do not know that they are suffering from it because it has no symptoms. It is one of the diseases that result from our lifestyles and the choices we make. However, these are diseases that can be managed by ensuring we change choices in our lives. This is a reality both at the highest level like the Senate to the lowest level in our villages. This is the biggest challenge we have as a country. As we mark this day, as Parliament, especially the Senate and other people employed by the Government, or working in the private sector who earn salaries, majority of them do not do regularly medical checkups. Some of them go for medical checkups, once in a while. If detected early, high blood pressure can be managed and you live a normal life. After some time, it destroys body organs, yet symptoms are not seen. That is why some people call it a “silent killer.” It is worth noting that health is a devolved function. One of our colleague’s requests is to create centres in our county and sub-county hospitals and local dispensaries. Such include places like Mosoriot Sub County Hospital or Kapsabet County Referral Hospital where ordinary people can walk to and check their blood pressure. We also have other hospitals in Nandi, Laikipia, Embu, Kilifi, Mombasa et cetera . People need to have access to them for regular medical checkups. The reason we devolved health functions was to ensure we bring services closer to the people. However, up to now, the health sector is struggling. It is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). One of the challenges facing the health sector in our country is lack of human resources. There are always unsettled fights with governors when it comes to hiring staff and paying salaries and emoluments. That has bedeviled the health sector in our counties. There was some wisdom by the drafters of the Constitution to devolve the health sector. They realized that each Kenyan should access a health centre, or a dispensary, or a Level 4 hospital, or a county referral hospital, or a national referral hospital such as Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Mbagathi Hospital, or Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and others like the one that was built in Nyeri. Governors can do that so as to ensure our people can go for checkups. There are many Kenyans suffering from high blood pressure while others are diabetic even in our own families. I was told that as a man, when you have high blood pressure and diabetes, performing other duties and rising to occasion becomes a problem. Those are some of the challenges we are talking about because of these diseases. In fact, medical awareness is important. Sometimes hospitals carry out awareness on issues to do with children, breastfeeding and many others. Things like free medical camps and awareness programmes should be included."
}