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{
"id": 1426206,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1426206/?format=api",
"text_counter": 267,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba.",
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"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, my submissions are from a personal experience. In 2022, right before we conducted party primaries, my father succumbed to cancer. It was very shocking because we had just got the right diagnosis of cancer four weeks before. Since he was diabetic and an elderly citizen, we had gone to many hospitals to get the right diagnosis. Eventually, we were told that it was cancer, but they were not quite sure of which type. Therefore, we were told to put him on a diet to gain back his strength, so that they can know the particular cancer when they do proper diagnosis. We did not even get to that point. It was a time when there was also COVID-19 and we were not quite sure. If you got sick, they would say that maybe it was COVID-19 and you needed to isolate. Unfortunately, when we were trying to get to the bottom of the type of cancer or how to approach the treatment, he passed on. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, two things were clear. One, in Kenya, getting the proper diagnosis of the type of cancer one has is a problem. It takes a lot of consultations, many appointments and waiting in queues in KNH, Coptic, other private hospitals and even the Level 4, 5 or 6 hospitals. When I was looking at this Cancer Prevention Control Bill, my first thought was that perhaps as we are push to have a digital approach and devices on how to look at the healthcare system, and cancer in particular, there should be specific data showing which institution or medical centre specializes in which type of cancer. Perhaps this should be an amendment. That way, you will not be moving from one hospital to another trying to figure out the right diagnosis. The truth is in the data. There are certain healthcare providers who are specializing in certain types of cancers. It would be an added advantage if, in the event a doctor suspects a certain type of cancer, based on the available data and previous records, they refer you to a particular hospital to get a proper diagnosis. One of the reasons I support this is that until now, in 2024, we do not seem to have a centralized and true source of data where you can go in as an end user or Kenyan and know the hospital or specialist to see in the unfortunate event that you are suffering from a particular kind of disease. I think the introduction of e-health, digital systems and platforms that are easily accessible by Kenyans can help cure that particular issue of how to get an early diagnosis, without having to travel to different cities, relying on information by well-wishers or people who do not have the required data. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as I said, this is very personal to me. This is because until today as a family, we are still trying to figure out if there is anything that we could have done that, probably would have helped that particular situation. I do not think that any family that has ever lost a family member to cancer ever gets closure. We only talk about early diagnosis and treatment. However, the truth of the matter is that sometimes you get your diagnosis late. They then tell you that you are at stage four and you have one or two weeks to live. Does that mean that the dignity of Kenyans should not be looked into in the management of the cancer in their final days? As Africans, these are some of the conversations we shy away from."
}