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"speaker_name": "Mr. Ethuro",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also wish to support this particular Motion. I want to congratulate my Vice-Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Energy, Communication and Information, Mr. James Maina Kamau, for bringing this Motion to this House. It is topical; it is necessary. In support, I am also quite grateful that the Minister for Medical Services, himself, is here. That is because we all remember that he is waging a war against cancer not just as a Minister but, at a very personal level. I really admire him and wish him well in his efforts to do that. This Motion accords all of us an opportunity, as a nation, to look into this killer disease. I am compelled to speak because we have buried Prof. Wangari Maathai, an eminent Kenyan. I am compelled to speak on this Motion because on 20th July, 2011, I buried one of my councillors, the late Dismas Kareng’a who died from throat cancer. I speak for the people who have elected me, especially from the lake zone. Somehow, this issue of cancer seems to be coming time and time again, and we are losing many people. The referral hospital that we have, and which should be dealing with that problem--- Only yesterday, we talked about the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret. It is the referral hospital for the people of Turkana. Every time, I have to spend money trying to take my people to that hospital and guess what, unfortunately, there is only one cancer machine in the whole Republic in terms of public hospitals, only at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)! We had an opportunity as a House, for the first time, to try and get the priorities of this nation. Through the Budget Committee, we had reallocated Kshs250 million so that, at the very minimum, we should buy additional three cancer screening machines in the country. So, sometimes, when, as a House and through Committees, we make deliberate specific interventions, you find the Government side fighting what is really good. When we are talking about those cancer screening machines, we are also factoring in the monthly lotion for the Albinos just to apply every month. We had also allocated money to that effect. That is because the condition of Albinos under the tropical sun makes them highly vulnerable to cancer. The case that was being presented to us, as a House, was completely shocking. It is only a heart made of stone that cannot even consider that kind of situation."
}