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{
    "id": 1460232,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1460232/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 128,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitui South, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Rachael Nyamai",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13374,
        "legal_name": "Richard Ken Chonga Kiti",
        "slug": "richard-ken-chonga-kiti"
    },
    "content": "It is not only among young people. I am taking care of my mother who is over 75 years old, and I am dealing with a case of dementia. I know that if Members of this House or people in our villages were allowed to tell their stories, you would find that people are dealing with non- communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, blood sugar, and all that. Being that people are living longer now, we are dealing with cases of dementia. I believe that it is important for anybody, for example, my people, the people I serve in this House — whether they come from Mutomo, Ikanga, Mutha, Kanziku, Ikutha, or Kamutei — to be able to walk to a health facility in Ikutha and present their mothers with dementia. They should be handled from that facility. This is a serious matter and we cannot ignore it as a House. Poor diagnosis is a bigger challenge. People are being locked up in the police cells because a young man came with a disturbed mind, this person is throwing stones, and when they are seen by the Chief and Assistant Chief, they are taken to the police station and the police put them in the cell where they are kept for up to six months. Someone with mental health challenges being locked up in cells for six months can only get worse. This misdiagnosis can only be handled when we have people at the local facility. These are the people who will be able to tell the police officers that what we are dealing with here may not be a crime issue but a health issue. People with mental health challenges have chronic pain. You realise that someone has so much pain, and they do not understand themselves, so they cannot even go and present themselves to a health facility. So, their healthcare-seeking behaviour changes and they are not able to take care of themselves. This also affects the people who are taking care of them. You realise that you have a sick person with a mental issue who is being taken care of by people who do not understand that they have mental health challenges, and then it becomes a cycle. This can be handled if this Motion is passed in this House. It is only urging, but I hope we get to a level of not only urging but implementing things. When there is a misdiagnosis of people with mental health issues, you realise that people become inactive. You will find someone sitting in their houses from morning to evening without doing anything. Others lock themselves in their bedrooms and ensure that it is dark the whole day. This inactivity leads to lack of development in the country. We cannot ignore it because mental health problems are causing inactivity which leads to lack of development in the country. We cannot ignore this anymore. We will ensure that more people are not incarcerated instead, more are taken care of. Our people are living a better quality of life. Our people are taken care of by people who are properly trained to take care of them. You will be surprised that even where we sit, we could be having people with mental challenges that have not been addressed; People who are not motivated at all to do anything. What Hon. Mishi Mboko is calling for is that we must have people who are trained to take care of mentally ill patients from the lowest to the highest level. This is not a national Government matter; it is a matter that concerns the national Government and the counties. She is calling for a level of collaboration and integration. Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker, for giving me a chance to comment. I fully support this Motion. God bless you."
}