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{
    "id": 434018,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/434018/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 308,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Prof.) Nyikal",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 434,
        "legal_name": "James Nyikal",
        "slug": "james-nyikal"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Bill. The area of counselling and psychotherapy is wide; its professionals are in high demand because of the broad nature of ailments that affect people. They range from ailments arising from the social changes in our environment, economic situation, living and work situations; these arise from disasters; disasters may be manmade like terrorism or natural. All of them inflict high pressure on people and affect their ability to cope; they present themselves as illnesses. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, because of that, there are a lot of people who engage in these areas and purport, sometimes with good intentions, to offer medical help to people in various conditions; they range from prayer healers, marriage counselors, child counselors, soothsayers, fortune tellers to outright witches. All of them purport to cover this area. Similarly, the medications offered in this area are wide. Some deal in medicines and substances that they do not know. Some are severely psychotropic and affect the mind. Some are intoxicants the make a condition worse and some change behaviour. Sometimes they are used without knowledge of their effects. Therefore, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is need to have regulation. Again these ailments will, in many times, present themselves in a physical nature; therefore, they may resemble other more serious mental illnesses that will need proper psychiatric treatment; they may be even physical illnesses that will need proper medical care. If handled by people who cannot recognise this difference and, therefore, refer sick people to appropriate professionals, such people will be exposed to grave dangers. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I support this Bill, so that we bring into existence standards in this area. When we have done that we must have a registration process. We must have licensing that determines who is doing what and in what circumstances, because they deal with human beings. Also, if people who masquerade as professionals harm others, or those who are not appropriately trained inflict harm on others, then there must be reprieve for those who are affected and sanctions against those who have caused them problems. I support this Bill. I am a member of the Committee. This Bill has provided structures that deal with all the problems that I have indicated above. It has created a board. It has created an institute. It has created appropriate committees for discipline and training; therefore, I think it will serve us very well. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I only want to add, as I end, that in the whole medical profession there are many areas that need regulation; I know that sooner than later we will need a broader, or mother Bill to cover all these areas. With those remarks, I beg to support The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}