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{
    "id": 392408,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/392408/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 230,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Nominated Senator (Sen. Ben Njoroge)",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, I beg to contribute and as well give my Maiden Speech on the same matter which is before the House. Madam Temporary Speaker, our policies have significantly evolved from the 1960s, when reduction or eradication of our social and health problems was the main approach. Today, we are focused on participatory approach in our current devolved health development. As we celebrate 50 years of Independence, the issue of health to persons with disabilities is still a challenge. There are reasons to be optimistic about the future, especially based on our very inclusive Constitution, which is capable of spurring national unity, county and individual development. We still find situations where persons with disabilities are marginalized when it comes to health services. Madam Temporary Speaker, according to Kenya’s National Survey for Persons with Disabilities, 2008, about 4.6 per cent of Kenyans experience some form of disability. Many of them are still not well taken care of by our health system. Firstly, it is important to strengthen the existing county hospitals and health centres in all the 47 counties, so as to be able to provide better health services towards the persons with disabilities. I went through the report of the Committee on Health, Labour and Social Welfare. I would also like to seek the intervention of this House to urgently review the nature of participation of the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the public and private health centres and hospitals. I wish to propose the establishment of a Government rehabilitation centre for persons with disabilities, at least, in one public hospital in every county. This should have sufficient services, including a laboratory, physiotherapy units and necessary devices to cater for the holistic needs of persons with disabilities. Madam Temporary Speaker, I wish to request the Committee on Health, Labour and Social Welfare to visit and review the situation at Mbagathi Hospital, as they move round the counties, considering the Level 4 and 5 hospitals. I recently visited the hospital for my assessment and found the services accorded to persons with disabilities wanting. I noted that the unit where persons with disabilities obtain services is identified with a banner of the HIV/AIDS scourge. This tends to imply that the PwDs who visit that hospital are also HIV/AIDS patients or that the HIV/AIDS patients are also PwDs; a The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}