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{
    "id": 392737,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/392737/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 267,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mugo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 85,
        "legal_name": "Beth Wambui Mugo",
        "slug": "beth-mugo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you Madam Temporary Speaker for the opportunity to support this Report by the Health, Labour and Social Welfare Committee. Indeed, health is one of the major areas in any country that have to be taken care of. Although we have a long way to go, we should acknowledge that Kenya has come a long way in taking care of our health sector. That is why I was very keen to hear what the last speaker, Sen. Karaba had to say. If, indeed, that were true, that any health officials were making tuberculosis patients to share beds with others while the policy on this disease is isolation, that person--- I would have seen to it – that the health Cabinet Secretary takes action. If anything like that happens, action must be taken. Let us be careful not to incite because we are a Senate. We are a mature House. Whatever we say is taken very seriously by the country. Even if we have a problem, we should not paint a picture where patients will be afraid of going to the hospitals just because they think they will be put in the same beds with tuberculosis patients or patients with other communicable diseases. Having said that, I want to appreciate the Committee for a job well done. We cannot claim that we have reached yet. We still have a long way to go. I would like to inform the Senate that one of the areas that Vision 2030 has focused on is the preventive side of health because it is cheaper. This is the only way we can deliver health to our people. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is also putting a lot of emphasis on this. It is not only cheaper but also accords people the necessary good health to do more productive work as opposed to waiting to go to hospital for treatment. One of the areas we have come out strongly, as a country, is the fact that we have reduced malaria incidences by over 44 per cent and the deaths with over 60 per cent. That is a major area that we have succeeded. We also have no outbreaks of cholera. We used to have cholera epidemics in the country. In the last three years, we have not had cholera even from Kisumu where it used to be very prevalent. We may have one case here and there but not an epidemic as it used to be reported. Pneumonia which used to kill many children, after the introduction of neumococo vaccine, has been reduced by over 50 per cent. So, there is a lot that we have achieved. In the last two Budgets you are all aware that we built model health centres in every constituency including North Eastern Province. In those health centres which are mainly for maternal health we provided four-wheel drive new ambulances. Last year we gave out almost 200 vehicles across the country. So, the Government has put in a lot of effort. We also employed over 8,000 new nurses in our hospitals and health centres across the 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."
}