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"id": 211585,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Muturi",
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"id": 215,
"legal_name": "Justin Bedan Njoka Muturi",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Minister for having acceded to our recommendation, as the Public Investments Committee (PIC), to allocate the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Kshs150 million to complete their long stalled housing project. That project started way back in 1991 and it has had a very bad history. It is good now that the Ministry has agreed to revive it and see it completed within the shortest time possible. We hope that those 2848 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 31, 2007 charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the project is completed will ensure that it is done in good time. The Minister talked about drug kits to dispensaries being given after every three months. I think there is need that it should not be cast in stone. If a particular health facility exhausts its drug kit, and there is evidence that they have done so, they should not be held hostage to the period of three months because then people will have to run away to other health facilities. Three months is good time, but we should be flexible in the way we administer it so that, indeed, upon presentation and receipt of evidence that the expended drug kit has been administered to the satisfaction of those responsible at the dispensary and the Ministry headquarters, then an appropriate replacement be provided. In any event, I believe it is one of the ways that would help the Ministry to appreciate the needs of a particular health facility, be it a health centre or dispensary. I would like to speak about my own district, Mbeere. Our health centre was elevated to the level of a district hospital. Unfortunately, the Ministry appears to have forgotten that a district hospital must have certain facilities, for instance, an operating theatre with equipment. We cannot keep calling ourselves a district hospital and yet we do not have some of these facilities. Through the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), I am being forced to construct a huge maternity wing, at least, just to give this district hospital some semblance of the status that it was accorded 11 years ago. Therefore, I would like to plead with the Ministry to see to it that Mbeere District Hospital at Siakago is given the necessary equipment in order to operate as a district hospital. In any event, we have quite a number of civil servants who require treatment at the same facility. It will only be fair that they are not forced to drive long distances . Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I put it to the Ministry that the allocation of Kshs150 million to provide water in health facilities, which lack water, is really peanuts. It is too little money. I want to agree with hon. Obwocha that we, as Members of Parliament, must really supplement what the Ministry is giving where we can within our CDF kitty. This is because it will not be a healthy situation where you have a dispensary or health centre which does not have water. It cannot really qualify to be a health facility. Without water, it is likely to degenerate either into a food store or some kiosk. I am happy about what goes to this Ministry from the Global Fund. However, I am a bit concerned that close to three-quarters of the Development Vote for this Ministry appears to be donor-funded. I think this is a critical Ministry. In as much as we may not have all that we ask for, there is need for the Government, as a whole, and, indeed, looking at the surplus funds in some of the institutions, like the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), to channel in some of those funds towards supplementing the development kitty. We cannot keep relying on donors to finance our Development Budget within such a key and critical Ministry. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am also concerned because even though the Minister said that there is an improvement in the doctor to patient ratio, there is still room for improvement. Indeed, granted what I said earlier on, we have very many well-trained medical personnel looking for jobs outside this country. It is either a question of incentives or packages. I wonder whether the Ministry has considered putting doctors on performance contracts. I do not know whether it would serve any useful purpose. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I note that doctors are in a unique profession. Perhaps, that is why the Ministry, and the Government as a whole, allow them to work both for the Government and do private consultancies. As some colleagues said in the past, that we should not allow doctors to do their private consultancies, by so doing, I think we will be running the risk of having our best qualified personnel not giving service to our public health institutions. Therefore, I appreciate that they are not like lawyers. They are not like me. It would be untenable for a lawyer to work for the Government and still do private work. I think the uniqueness of the medical July 31, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2849 profession allows, understandably, that they practice privately and still offer valuable service to public health institutions. This is something that we cannot complain so much about. However, even as that is appreciated, I think there is need for more and more personnel to be hired for the public institutions. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in a number of situations we are not able to tell whether a doctor is actually giving the best of himself or herself at the public health facility. We are actually told that if you go to their private clinics, you would get better attention. It is a very delicate situation. I know the Ministry must be struggling with how to deal with this situation. It is a very difficult thing to handle. The Ministry needs them yet we do not have enough to remain in public hospitals without allowing them the latitude for private practice. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was just wondering whether the nine-kilometre radius for availability of primary health care provision centres, that the Minister talked about, is the internationally recognised or recommended distance. Kenya is interesting. You can visualise that in some places a mother is in pain and for her to travel a distance of nine kilometres would be like going to heaven or hell because there are no roads or vehicles. I have travelled quite extensively and I know that in as much we talk about the nine kilometres, there are some places that it is impossible to travel because of bad roads. I want to commend the Ministry because they are trying. However, I think there is need that as we, hon. Members of Parliament, administer the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) kitty, we complement the Ministry. I find it a little difficult to accept this given the distances and some of the terrain in some parts of this country. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}