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"id": 141195,
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"content": "Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, another issue has been raised that is very current and very important. That is the so-called âherbal medicineâ, particularly Chinese herbal medicine. Mrs. Shabesh was right in saying that our people do resort to this kind of herbal medicine when they think that it is cheaper than what is available in the pharmacies and chemist shops. Indeed, currently, the KEMSA is the cheapest supplier of drugs in this nation. That has been proved by a task force that we set up. If we capitalise KEMSA properly, it will be able to make cheap drugs available to the nation. Secondly, if we improve the surveillance of drugs in the nation through the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, by making sure that medicines that come into this country are properly bar-coded, so that only properly bar-coded drugs can be sold in our pharmacies, we shall, definitely, eliminate the problem of counterfeits. We are working very hard to deal with the counterfeit drugs problem, so that only bona fide drugs can be available both in the market and in the public health institutions. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, Dr. Eseli was right in saying that we must make sure that Appropriations-In-Aid (A-I-A) in district hospitals and other health facilities, which is the cost-sharing money- is properly used. One of the reasons as to why we are introducing e-management of health services is precisely to make sure that accountability for the cost-sharing money in hospitals is improved. For example, currently, at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital there are about 16 different points of revenue collection. Now, when you have 16 different points of revenue collection in one hospital, you are creating room for inefficiency and mismanagement. The Nairobi Hospital realised that, and introduced an ICT system, which not only reduced the number of revenue collection points but also took away the collection and accounting for that money from a system of physical receipts and registers to a computer system. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, you know that when the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) introduced the Electronic Tax Register (ETR) system, they improved their revenue collection tremendously. We, in the medical fraternity, must also do the same and introduce an electronic health management system in our facilities to improve accountability and curb on pilferage. That having been said, what was done in the past need not be repeated in the present. I do not think that under my charge, the NHIF can involve itself in construction of something like the car park. That was a big mistake by the NHIF. However, that is water under the bridge. We now look to the future to make sure that the funds that will be raised by the NHIF will be properly used to have medical services accessible, particularly to the poor. I am saying âaccessible to the poorâ because, in the final analysis, we, MPs, are the ones who quite often have to bear the burden of bailing out the poor who are detained in the KNH and other medical facilities when they cannot pay their bills. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, another issue that has been raised, and for which I am very grateful, is that of remuneration and training of health personnel. Although we are making arrangements to hire more health personnel, and although with respect to nurses, we have actually improved their terms of service, I am convinced that this nation is not replenishing our âstockâ of doctors effectively. There are certain areas of medical specialisation like Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT), gynaecologists and paedetricians, where we have an acute shortage in this country."
}