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{
    "id": 569506,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/569506/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 202,
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    "content": "on the idea of fighting the HIV/AIDS scourge. It appears as if we only wait for donors to give us money. I can remember that there were issues of misappropriation of HIV/AIDS donor funds. Therefore, donors decided to withdraw. As results, I condemn misuse of funds meant for fighting HIV/AIDS which made the exercise go down. However, I still believe that we should not rely on donor funding on such important issues that have been declared national disasters like HIV/AIDS. Madam Temporary Speaker, I want to touch on HIV/AIDS and devolution. I said this and this Motion also tends to suggest that devolution of services, whether education, health, roads or any other service was done with the aim of ensuring that services reach people at the grassroots level. Hitherto, the NACC would issue policies, but then such policies would die along the way before reaching the grassroots level. Therefore, the idea of devolution which has come timely – 50 years after Independence – was to ensure that things are done up to the grassroots level. How then relevant is it that we can devolve other functions and still allow HIV/AIDS policy and bodies like the NACC to be stuck at the national level? That is why I support this Motion very strongly. We would like to see a branch of the NACC at every county headquarters. From there, they will operate throughout the county so that there is sufficient reach of the population on these very important matters. Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'-Nyong'o mentioned about counties going even further and taking up services like HIV/AIDS testing and providing ARVs to dispensaries. This is the way to go. Once we have devolved functions to counties, we should not just stop there. We must ensure that other services like provision of ARVs and HIV/AIDS testing are provided. Perhaps, they should also provide one important service that, up to now, has not been emphasised. That is provision of food supply to victims. Madam Temporary Speaker, as far as I know, many HIV/AIDS patients die because they do not have access to food. Food is very critical, particularly after taking ARVs. I want to believe that the professional doctor here, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, would agree with me that if you give a patient ARVs on an empty stomach, you will be killing him or her faster. Therefore, the medicine that you are supplying would not be helpful to them. Madam Temporary Speaker, perhaps, the NACC does not know that there are people who have no access to food. There are people who, probably, will have one meal per day if they are lucky. There are people who will have porridge only as the main meal for the day. I can assure you that porridge cannot accommodate ARVs for a patient to survive. Therefore, we need to go further. This can only be done of we devolve some functions to the counties. County government must be urged to have a provision to give sufficient and nutrition based foods to people living with HIV/AIDS within their areas of jurisdiction so that we get an all-round healthy population throughout the country. Madam Temporary Speaker, Sir, I strongly support this Motion. I hope that the NACC will take it very seriously and look for funds. Above all, I hope that the national 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."
}