Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1316024,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1316024/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 238,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "North Imenti, Independent",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Rahim Dawood",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "This Bill seeks to amend Section 2 of the Cancer Prevention and Control Act No.15 of 2012. We are defining e-health as the combined use of electronic communication and information technology in the health sector. We are also defining telemedicine as the provision of healthcare services and sharing of medical knowledge over distance using telecommunications, and it includes consultative, diagnostic and treatment services. In addition, e-health and telemedicine will reduce congestion in hospitals as cancer patients will be treated from the comfort of their homes. We are also amending Section 5 of the Cancer Prevention and Control Act No.15 of 2012 by adding new paragraphs after paragraph (b): “(ba) promote the use of e-health and telemedicine for the prevention and treatment of persons with cancer; (bb) promote treatment of persons with cancer as a component of primary healthcare.” Primary healthcare is very important. The last amendment is on Section 31 of the Cancer Prevention and Control Act No.15 of 2012, where we are inserting a new sub-section (3) immediately after sub-section (2), which states that the National Cancer Institute shall collaborate with the national Government department responsible for public health to promote the training of human resource for oncology services. One of the functions of the National Cancer Institute is to advise the Cabinet Secretary on matters relating to the treatment and care of persons with cancer, and to advise on the relative priorities to be given to the implementation of specific measures. Sections 31(1) and 2 of the principal Act state: “(1) The Institute shall liaise with the national Government department responsible for public health to ensure that education and information dissemination on the prevention and treatment of cancer and the care of persons with cancer, including palliative care, shall form part of healthcare services by healthcare providers. (2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the national Government department responsible for public health, in collaboration with the institute, shall provide training for healthcare providers to acquire skills for proper information dissemination and education on cancer prevention, control and palliative care.” Hon. Temporary Speaker, by adding the third section, number three, we are saying that the national Government together with the county governments should go further and do the training of human resource. As we stand in this country, we have a shortage of personnel, especially oncologists. The ratio of healthcare professionals to the population is very low. If you allow me, I will read out the number of healthcare professionals that we have in the country. Currently, as it stands, we have one doctor to 26,000 patients. For dentists, we have one dentist to 236,000 patients. For pharmacists, we have one pharmacist to 141 patients. For clinical officers, we have one clinical officer to 19,000 patients. For nurses, we have one nurse to 2,465 patients. The nurses that we are talking about are not the oncology nurses. As a country, we need to move forward. It is very important that we now… Although the Digital Health Bill has already been signed into law by His Excellency the President – and I thank him for that – the use of e-health will assist people who cannot go to hospitals or who cannot access hospitals from far-flung areas. It is a challenge and costly for people who come from far-off places like where Hon. Naomi comes from in Marsabit, Turkana or Lamu, to access those facilities which are basically in the cities and the urban areas. That is how e-health will assist together with telemedicine. E-health has grown in this country, but we have a challenge of connectivity. Some people do not know how to use internet and others do not have the tech savvy phones. However, due to increase in the number of mobile phone users, we are getting somewhere. The use of e-health has the following advantages in cancer treatment: E-health allows cancer patients to connect with cancer specialists regardless of their geographical location like far-flung areas. 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."
}