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    "id": 418372,
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    "content": "care of the old but also to know that while you are still working, there are institutions where you put your savings for future. The reason for putting money in the NHIF and the NSSF is that, it is a collective pot, which, as you grow older and no longer earning a salary, you can earn from it in terms of supporting your health expenses and other things. We cannot assume that people will always have money in their pockets to support themselves when they grow old. If we have a system where there are institutions where people can save for the purpose of the whole community then that pot is used to take care of the others. That is why I have been very pained in this country to see the resistance against a comprehensive social health insurance. The resistance comes from very narrow minded selfish individuals who own insurance firms. They do so because they think that if you have a comprehensive social health insurance, you will take the market from them.This is not true because a comprehensive social health insurance will still allow private health insurance for those who want and for those who can afford it. That is why in this House, for example, we contribute to the NHIF but we also have another insurance for medical cover, AON Minet. We rarely use the NHIF but it is a way in which we contribute to welfare society. So, we must understand that in order for individuals to survive in a society, that society must survive as a whole. That is why in a society where there is tremendous social inequality even those who are rich suffer because they fear that the people who do not have will come at night and chop off their heads, looking for some porridge; and the prize of that is your head. It is too expensive a prize to pay. If we invest in dealing with social inequality, we shall have an insurance against such kinds of incidents. So, Sen. Omondi, what we are addressing is the responsibility of the society as a whole; and not individual families to take care of the old. Of course, children who are educated will take care of their parents but not everybody will be in that category. I can have the ability to take care of my mother and indeed, I do but I know that there are some other people who may not have some kind of income and, therefore, cannot afford. So, we cannot neglect that family simply because they do not have individuals with income to support them. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am glad we have stayed here to support this Motion. That is a very good intention. We have identified just one problem of the aged, that is, senile dementia but the aged have many other problems especially if at one point in your life you have gone through certain treatments. Although you were treated, when you get older, the ailments revisit you. So, if they revisit you at a point when you have no income, there must be a system by which you can be helped. Finally, I think Sen. Omondi mentioned something very important. We tend to approach social welfare issues in a haphazard manner. Something like Uwezo Fund will never work especially by giving the Members of Parliament the responsibility to collect the fund. It is a disaster in waiting. So, we are going to put money in a pool that will never close. It is like what was done last time about Kazi Kwa Vijana . It was very well intentioned but you cannot really manage it and it became difficult to manage. So, why do we keep on going towards that direction? Another fund that we have at the moment which is very difficult to manage is this thing called the old people’s transfer fund. I agree with Sen. Omondi that giving it to civil 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."
}