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"content": "common amongst children who have got HIV/AIDS. I, therefore, call upon the Government to listen to this Motion and realize that the strategy that they have on the Global Fund is poor. Madam Temporary Speaker, I happen to have colleagues who currently work at National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCOP), and in control of the Global Fund. They tell me that they are unable to spend the money because, after devolution, health was taken to the counties. Therefore, health has become a “by-the-way” in the national Government, to the extent that to even do a simple seminar in the counties, they have to wait for somebody from Nairobi. We would like the funds to be devolved so that the intended purpose for which the money was released by the international community can be realized. It is a shame that for every 100,000 Kenyans, there are only three doctors. However, when you count the doctors who are available in public hospitals, you will not believe it. There are only 2,200 doctors. The reason why they run away is because of the meagre salary that they are paid. In Kenya, there are 2,224 MCAs against 2,200 doctors. Since we are politicians, we are comfortable paying those MCAs a cumulative salary of almost Kshs500,000, but we cannot pay well the 2,200 doctors. We have our priorities upside down. People will not die in Homa Bay or Kakamega of HIV/AIDS for lack of MCAs. They will die for lack of doctors and nurses. These are the hard questions that the forthcoming Government of the change movement of Kenya will answer. The Jubilee Government has been completely unable to address this. The ongoing problem of doctors fighting with governors requires a very simple solution. The Government has a majority in the National Assembly and a majority of intelligent people here who do not vote along party lines. All you have to do is bring here an amendment, create a health workers’ commission similar to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and it will take care of the issues of the welfare of health workers. That way, health will continue to be devolved for the governors to build their dispensaries, buy ambulances and so on. Madam Temporary Speaker, because this issue is so sensitive, it is important that during a debate like this, the public knows where the truth lies. Some people think having a bigger quotient of patients living with HIV/AIDS is a stigma, but it is not. It is a status. When it started, counties that never used to have the problem are now nowhere when you look at the top ten. In the top ten, Nairobi County is first with 199,000; Homa Bay County, 150,000; Kisumu County, 113,000; Siaya County, 100,000 and Mombasa County, 77,000. Mombasa County was at the top at the beginning because that is when homosexuality was still a problem. It is a city which we knew the population of people who practised man to man and woman to woman sex was highest. However, this has changed. At number six is Kisii County where HIV/AIDS was not a problem. There are now 73,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. Migori County, 68,000 and Nakuru County, 67,000. What of Nakuru County? 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."
}