{"id":1230992,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1230992/?format=json","text_counter":120,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"THAT, aware that Article 43(1)(a) of the Constitution provides that every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health including the right to health care services; further aware that the relationship between health and education plays a significant role in school attendance rates; concerned that the negative effects of poor sanitation, such as parasite infestations, particularly among school children lead to anaemia, stunted-growth and other salient problems which in turn lead to low school attendance and impact education standards; recognizing that, according to research, school- based deworming is one of the most cost-effective interventions that provides a huge range of holistic and social benefits, such as increased school attendance and healthier kids who do better in school, while utilizing already-existing school structures in administering deworming treatment to school pupils; recalling that, previous programmes conducted by the Ministry of Health in partnership with a non-governmental organization called Evidence Action have only been piloted in a few selected counties and that the deworming efforts have been uncoordinated and dependent on external support with no clear policy or budgetary framework; now therefore, this House urges that the National Government, through the Ministry of Health, develops a national policy on deworming school-going children as a crucial part of mainstreaming of healthcare access in the Country."}