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{
    "id": 355174,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/355174/?format=api",
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    "content": "status is now up. So, we have him and other hon. Members in this House, who can sit down and create this law. We will address the issue of doctors and lack of medicines. Many Kenyans die of cancer today. The rate of cancer-related deaths in this country is almost surpassing the rate of deaths related to malaria. Why? Because there are so many chemicals. An hon. Member yesterday said that a lot of run-off water goes into boreholes from which Kenyans drink and then we get a lot of cancer cases. I can say that the causes are probably even more. It could be medicines whose efficacy is not right. We import a lot of generic medicines from countries like India and other countries that I do not want to mention. Whether it is ARV drugs for management of HIV/AIDS or whatever drugs, they only import genuine drugs to a certain level and then bring useless drugs. So, people are dying because of taking the wrong medicine. Our people are dying because they are not getting quality medicines. It is high time we came up with our own institutions to manufacture medicines in this country. We have Cosmos in Kenya, who are doing some work. The Committee on Health should actually visit any manufacturer of medicines in Kenya to ascertain that they are actually producing quality medicines. We should be able to verify the quality of any medicine. Hon. Speaker, Sir, we have an institution which is supposed to control the quality of medicines coming into this country. But what do they do? Many importers would walk there with a couple of pounds or whatever it is and then they are allowed to import drugs whose use has been banned elsewhere in the world. So, our people use such drugs. There are many drugs which have been banned by the World Health Organisation and other health institutions, but which are still being administered to our people in Kenya. That is why our people are dying of cancer. That is why it is our duty, as Members of Parliament, to address this matter very seriously. We should create a law to provide that anybody found selling medicines which have been banned by our statutes should be banned from practicing in this country, and that he or she should be jailed for life upon conviction. If we go that way, even if you are a doctor, you will not able to practice in Kenya again. That is the kind of law we need to address the issue because we have come to realize that if you do not create serious punishment for people who cause deaths and havoc to our people, they will continue making money and enjoying themselves as our people die. The more the deaths, the more the morgues and the more carpenters make coffins. That should not be the way to go. Therefore, these are issues we need to address just as much as--- (technical hitch) ---expanding our tax bracket to create money to be able to address this issue and provide medical care to our people. It is through our commitment to pay taxes that we can achieve this. How would we do that? By ensuring that institutions like the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and others like those in the transport sector are properly regulated and managed by the right people."
}