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{
    "id": 1287028,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1287028/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 253,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Methu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13581,
        "legal_name": "Methu John Muhia",
        "slug": "methu-john-muhia"
    },
    "content": "It is not a preserve of the national Government or the county government, but a preserve of everybody who has responsibility to ensure that we give this kind of a service. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, my colleagues have spoken to the issues around this Bill and the objects as to why we want this Bill to come into force. There are also issues in this Bill that need serious panel-beating. Primary health care services shall be accessed at community and health facilities in accordance with this Act and any other written law. I will not belabour to explain why health is a serious issue. I said yesterday when we were dealing with the Bill that none of the Senators here, including Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, a medical doctor, can provide healthcare to themselves. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need to come together in order to devolve health to the lowest unit. I am impressed with the objects of this Bill because we will push healthcare services to the household level, so that CHPs can meet people in their homes. Their services will commence in homes. My colleagues have mentioned that if we can have people diagnosed at the lowest levels, then we can cut the amount of money we spend on health services because not everyone will go or be required to go all the way to a health facility. We have also spoken about education. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Sen. Maanzo explained to us that when we had Covid- 19, issues of cleanliness and hygiene were taken to the grassroots and this greatly reduced diseases. Few people visited hospitals. Therefore, this health education and promotion needs to go to the grassroots and the lowest level. Issues to do with disease prevention and all the things aimed at being done by these Community Health Promoters are things that I actually support. Secondly, I actually feel just like my colleagues have spoken here, that we need to be a bit more careful with this Bill because we are not deficient in terms of our laws on who is that person who has been charged with the responsibility of providing primary healthcare. If you go to Part II of the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of Kenya, which you and I swore to uphold, county health services in particular promotion of primary healthcare, is a preserve of the county governments. It is then out of this that I find myself a bit conflicted that we want to legislate to remove powers from our devolved units and take them back to the national Government."
}