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    "id": 442821,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/442821/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 91,
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    "content": "The whole Section 5 is about advising the national Government, whereas we know that according to the Fourth Schedule to our Constitution, you will find in Paragraph 2 that the functions of the county governments are:- County health services, including, in particular— (a) county health facilities and pharmacies; (b) ambulance services; (c) promotion of primary health care; (d) licensing and control of undertakings that sell food to the public; (e) veterinary services (excluding regulation of the profession); (f) cemeteries, funeral parlours and crematoria; and (g) refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you will find that actually most of the functions, I would say, apart from Part 1 Paragraph 23, which gives the national health referral services to the national Government, when it comes to health issues, are at the county level. I believe that, that is one of the issues that the Mediation Committee is now going to go into as we have read out this morning. So, the bottom line is that this is a health issue and the entire Act, as we have it today, does not take into account that the county governments are mandated under our Constitution to deal with those health issues; hence the amendments. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is said here very clearly on page 87, that the whole of Section 5 of the current Act has been deleted. We have substituted it with the one which I am now going to read as an amendment. I will just read two of them to show. It reads that:- “The functions of the institute shall be to: (a) Liaise with the national and county governments and other relevant bodies and institutions on all matters relating to the care and treatment of persons with cancer. We have now said that it is a function of both in terms of policy and so on. So, this institute that has been set up under that act will have to deal with both national and county governments. It continues to state that:- (b) The institute is there to advise the county governments on matters relating to the treatment and care of persons with cancer and on relative priorities to be given to the implementation of specific measures. (c) To encourage the establishment of hospitals, vocational treatment and care centres and other institutions for the welfare and treatment of persons with cancer in all counties of the Republic and; (g) Collaborate with international institutions for the purpose of collecting---” So, with our amendments, at least the role of the county governments on issues relating to cancer treatment and care has now been recognized. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the institute as currently established is administered by a board of trustees. Under the current law as it is now, which is set out on page 101 of the Bill, you will find that the board consists of the Chairperson; the Principal Secretary for the time being responsible for matters relating to health or his designated alternate not being below the level of Deputy Secretary; the Principal Secretary for the time being responsible for matters relating to finance or his designated alternate not being below 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."
}