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{
    "id": 1286122,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1286122/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 327,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Oburu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 194,
        "legal_name": "Oburu Ngona Odinga",
        "slug": "oburu-odinga"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I stand to support this Bill and I also note the concerns of my colleagues about some provisions in this Bill which need amendments. We have been talking of the facility starting from the formal level which is the dispensary level but there is an aspect of this Bill which is very important and that is the primary healthcare before you go to a dispensary or a formal facility. This is the facility which was created sometimes back in what they were calling the Bamako Initiative and that initiative gave rise to the community health workers. The community health workers were givers of certain drugs which are non-prescriptive drugs and they have been dispensing them to treat simple diseases which do not need prescriptions. Some of these people who do the primary healthcare. They go to the people and teach them preventive measures because prevention is better than cure. Therefore, if you can teach people to prevent contracting certain diseases, it is more important than waiting for them to get sick and then you start treating them. The big problem has been how to pay these community health workers. What they get is so little that it is not sufficient to sustain them. Also, there are counties which have been paying them but now in this Bill, it is proposed that the CEO will identify them and maybe employ them but will they pay them? If they are not going to pay them, then the problem will still continue to persist and people will continue to suffer at that level. These people are the ones who are at the grassroots. They are the ones who know every home; they know how many people do family planning; they teach people and do all the primary healthcare things. They are very important at that level. This Bill has proposed it but it needs refining and improvement. We need to be very clear whether these people are going to be paid or not. If they are going to be paid, at what level are they going to be paid. Retaining money at the health facility up to level 5 is good but we need to have very clear accountability for this money. I know that there are shortcuts which are going to shortchange the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act but of course, it will help our people to get drugs faster than they are getting right now. However, we must establish proper ways and means of auditing those funds which are being spent at source. This is because spending money at source sometimes is not that good. Sometimes it is dangerous but because of the situation in which we are, a desperate situation, our people are suffering; you go to a health facility and there are no drugs, not even Panadol. This is a measure which is necessary but I hope that this Bill will address those problems which are persisting and existing right now within our facilities. I support this Bill but I hope that we are going to continue to work on it as a Senate and improve it to make sure that what comes out addresses all the concerns which have been raised particularly by my brother, Sen. Osotsi, on this matter."
}