Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1323926,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1323926/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 254,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mbeere North, DP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ruku G.K",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to congratulate Hon. Rahim for this very timely amendment. This should be supported not only by this House, but also by the implementing agency, especially bearing in mind that we passed several Bills which touch on the health of the nation. Every Kenyan from every corner of Kenya should be taken care of by the Government. Cancer and many other diseases like diabetes have made many families in the republic suffer in terms of depleting their savings as well as investments to the extent that they turn to raising funds through friends, relatives, and political leaders within their areas. For this to be taken care of, Hon. Rahim is proposing to ensure that e-health or telemedicine is well entrenched within the republic. It is important for health institutions or hospitals to speak to each other and access patient files, whether in Level 4 or Level 5 hospitals. That way, medical records can be accessed by a doctor who is not necessarily within the same vicinity or building. It will also fast-track the process of treatment. If you go to many developed nations, hospitals are not many, but doctors are many and they treat patients from every corner of the country. I will give you an example of Germany, where hospitals are not many, but doctors are quite many. Training of oncologists is an extremely important aspect. We have a shortage of trained and qualified oncologists in Kenya. Not very many years ago, I was working with the Government of Israel and I remember several doctors going for training in oncology in a hospital called Hadassah in Israel. If you go to KNH at 4.00 a.m., you will find long lines of patients. If you do not go early enough, it means you will get treatment very late, or not get treatment at all. It is very important that this amendment aligns the treatment of some of the diseases like cancer, which has made this country spend a lot of money and also created medical tourism. Many patients have had to go to other countries like India for treatment. You will find many Kenyans, every single day, traveling to India for treatment when we can align things properly in our country and treat those patients who are not only Kenyans, but also from within the region. Once again, I want to congratulate Hon. Rahim for this timely amendment. It needs to be supported by this House, the Government, and development partners to ensure that we take care of our people. There is nothing that any Kenyan can do not to get cancer, be it eating well or running every morning. You just have to get diagnosed and thereafter start the treatment process which is expensive, painful, and in most cases, not successful. I support this amendment. Thank you."
}