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{
    "id": 561996,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/561996/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 240,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Karani",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2085,
        "legal_name": "Stephen Wachira Karani",
        "slug": "stephen-wachira-karani"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I also stand to support this Motion but with amendments. It is a very noble Motion talking about saving lives and we all appreciate it. However, like Hon. Kibunguchy said, we may land into problems because health services are devolved. I am a member of the Departmental Committee on Health and, without anticipating debate, I know the Health Bill is soon coming to this Parliament. It will address some of these challenges. The mistake we made as Kenyans was to devolve health services in a hurry. That is why we are having a lot of problems. I went to Nyahururu Hospital, a Level 4 hospital in my constituency, which handles an average of about 800 patients in a day and the situation is pathetic. When you see the way patients are suffering, you really feel for them. As Kenyans, we ought to have devolved health services gradually. We would have started with devolving dispensaries then move to health centres instead of just devolving the entire health sector the way we did. Recently, the Government leased medical equipment to 98 hospitals in this country, to be specific, two hospitals in every county, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). The information I have is that intensive care unit equipment are part of that deal. This Motion by Hon. Dawood may have been overtaken by events because ICU equipment are part of that deal. I do not know whether we will be duplicating the functions. That is why some of us need to sit down with Hon. Dawood and see the amendments we can propose. I have a problem with putting up blood transfusion units in every constituency. As you know, we have 290 constituencies. The way I understand blood transfusion units is that they are units where you go to donate blood. The blood is screened and stored. What we need are blood banks in constituency hospitals and not blood transfusion units. In fact, I would be happy having mobile blood transfusion units such that if my constituents in Nyahururu want to donate blood, that unit can come to Nyahururu. We can advertise and people can come and donate blood. Storage of the blood is totally a different aspect and it can go to these other hospitals. With those few remarks, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I support. Thank you."
}