HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 379146,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/379146/?format=api",
"text_counter": 134,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Nobwola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13116,
"legal_name": "Catherine Mukiite Nabwala",
"slug": "catherine-mukiite-nabwala"
},
"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, one in every five Kenyans who walk into a healthcare facility for treatment, whether public or private, ends up dead or harmed due to mistakes made by those treating them. Incidences of misdiagnosis, wrong decisions and treatment, medical or surgical prescription errors are on the rise across Kenya and have resulted in suffering, permanent injury or death of innocent citizens. Public health institutions meant to foster care and treatment have become indifferent to the plight of the suffering. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, how can this impunity be controlled? The current trends that justify the Motion are as follows:- The legal, regulatory and oversight environment for healthcare system in Kenya, is not only poorly developed, but also not well enforced which results in rights violations of patients with few channels to redress these abuses. Doctors and other medical personnel who make mistakes escape with impunity due to weak oversight institutions. The Motion responds to the call by Kenyans to form a complaints process in line with the devolved healthcare system of the Government. It is saddening to note from the World Bank study entitled “Service Provision for Doctors” that two out of five medical practitioners cannot diagnose basic health killer diseases like pneumonia and acute diarrhoea accurately. This is because there is low level of expertise in the health facilities. This has been worsened by lack of man power and a high patient numbers; a load of 8.7 patients per provider per day. According to the service delivery indicator, the survey of 2013 by the World Bank, 29 per cent of health care providers are absent from work on regular basis. When they turn up, they fail to perform their duties as expected. Women and children, especially those from low income families, are the leading victims and face serious human rights abuses when seeking healthcare in public and private healthcare facilities. These include neglect and mistreatment during and after delivery. We had a case in one of the hospitals where the doctor was operating on a mother who had gone to give birth. The doctor operated on the patient and when he was halfway, went to drink. When he went back, he found that the mother and the child had died. There is also physical and verbal abuse and detention in health facilities due to inability to pay for services. This situation works against the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Nos.4 and 5 with regard to reducing child mortality and improvement of maternal healthcare, respectively. There is no expeditious access to redress to these suffering. The media, especially The Standard newspaper in its serialisation; Service Provision, has highlighted some of the cases that have elicited anger from the public. However, little action has been taken to effectively arrest and reverse the rising trends. Examples of these cases which portend monumental, medical and health disaster in Kenya, include alcoholism, wrong prescription, sterilisation without consent – this has happened particularly to mothers infected by the HIV/AIDs scourge when they go to see their doctors – forgotten foreign bodies after surgery and absenteeism, among other things. The Kenya Medical, Nursing and Midwifing Practitioners (KMNWP) are regulated by the statutory authorities, including the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) established under CAP 253, Laws of Kenya. The Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) which is established under the Nurses Act, CAP 257, Laws of The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}