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{
    "id": 1156722,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1156722/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 295,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Endebess, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Robert Pukose",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1458,
        "legal_name": "Robert Pukose",
        "slug": "robert-pukose"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I beg to second The Health (Amendment) Bill, 2021 by Hon. Mwambu Mabonga. This is a very important amendment and basing on what he has presented, it intends to establish regional cancer treatment centers. When we talk of regional, we mean where you have the country divided into various regions. Apparently, we have a model that is working for blood transfusion. We have regional blood transfusion centers within Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Nyeri, Embu, Nairobi, Mombasa and other places. In a way, it makes it easier and accessible for the sick to access healthcare by establishing these regions and providing them with the necessary support. One of the biggest challenges that we face as a country after health was devolved is its implementation. Apparently, when we were devolving healthcare, the Transitional Authority never did a proper costing of the devolved functions. The Constitution talks of functions and the funds that must be devolved in a commensurate way. This is such that when you devolve a certain function, it must be followed by funds. One of the biggest challenges that we need to look back as a country is if we are going to have these regional centers for cancer treatment. Apparently, cancer has become one of the biggest challenges in our modern days. People with cancer are being taken to India when the disease is at an advanced stage. That means that if this person had an early diagnosis and treatment, the person would have got better. You hear of cases where people have been diagnosed and have lived their full lives. A case in mind is the late Rev. Desmond Tutu. He was diagnosed with cancer at the age of around 70 but lived up to around 105 years. That means, once you do an early diagnosis, one can get proper treatment and the disease cannot progress. We have cases of our citizens who have confessed to having cancer at an early stage. They are now leading normal lives because it was diagnosed early enough and they had access to proper treatment. This Bill states that we need to have regional devolved centers. However, it will also be very important that those regions must have good facilities. When we have regional cancer centers, 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."
}