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{
    "id": 1343999,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1343999/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 182,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Gilgil, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Martha Wangari",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I want to join my colleagues in congratulating the Departmental Committee on Health for this Bill that will ensure efficiency in how we handle our health records. If passed, one of the issues that I like and this Bill will address is the management system and the co-operation between the national and county governments as stipulated in the Constitution in Articles 187 and 189. The disconnect between the two levels of government has been ailing the health sector. From what we saw yesterday – the President flagging off kits for community health promoters in county governments – there is hope. There will be smoother operations in the counties. The other issue is inter-linkages with other institutions and officers. Here, I have in mind the issue of the Government Chemist. A week ago, in a village called Kasambara in my Constituency, a young girl aged 12 years old, Jasmin Njoki, was waylaid from school, raped and killed. The DNA samples collected by the Government security officers have to be taken to Kisumu to assess whether the suspect is culpable. I hope this Bill will address the issue of releasing DNA data for sexual offenses. I hope that it will be done under Article 36 in terms of closure of data. It provides areas where this data can be provided as a legal requirement. I pray that it will be more express, specifically on issues that touch on defilement and rape. That, the DNA samples and information can be easily shared with the law enforcers and the court system so that we can have paedophiles and criminals jailed. The information should not take long to be accessed. Efficiency should be such that one will not travel to a different city or town to get that information. It should be easily transmitted. Another important issue is privacy. Matters of medical records are susceptible to all people, not just us, Members of Parliament, alone. That is why we visit a doctor alone. This Bill has tried to address that, and it has looped in the Office of the Data Commissioner so that we have the credibility that the confidentiality, privacy and security of any data that any person shares with a medical practitioner will be protected. We are just coming from a time when we have dealt with World coin, which was recently a major issue in this country. As we wait for the Report of the ad hoc Committee that was formed, its safety has not been guaranteed. I hope confidentiality will be guaranteed. The Data Commissioner should be on top of it. That way, we will protect the information that is shared in any form or manner with any institution in our country. This is a good Bill, and I will be proposing some amendments during the Committee of the Whole House stage. At this point, it is very important in terms of e-Waste materials. They must rope in the county governments because practitioners are not just in Nairobi, referral hospitals and national institutions; practitioners are in counties. With those few remarks, I beg to support. Thank you."
}