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{
    "id": 596745,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/596745/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 138,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Limo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1915,
        "legal_name": "Joseph Kirui Limo",
        "slug": "joseph-kirui-limo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker. This is a very important Bill because one of the fundamental aspects of the Constitution is to provide protection to sick people. But the problem is that these rights which have been provided for by the Constitution have actually addressed one aspect. You are provided with a right which is health, education and security but specifically on health, it has not addressed the question of how. Therefore, it becomes a right on paper. At least, on the right to education, we have seen a lot of effort being put by the Government to provide free primary education and subsidised secondary education, but in terms of health there are many problems. If you go to our counties - someone had mentioned during the making of the Constitution that if we are not careful, this Constitution is going to make or break the country. I am worried that if the health sector is not well regulated, the country will be balkanized. The fact that you come from a certain county does not mean that you have to seek treatment in your county. Why am I saying this? We have seen a precedent being set where when our people go to certain hospitals, they get different treatment. For example, if you come from Nyanza and seek treatment in Samburu, the treatment you will get will be different. Therefore, this Bill has come at the right time. I hope the policies or the thinking and the provisions which have been provided for in this Bill are going to be implemented to ensure first, that there is universal healthcare available for every citizen of this country. Last month, I had a situation where I had to ask many questions. Due to bad luck, three of my constituents who reside in a place called “Kedowa” were involved in an accident around Machakos. Unfortunately, they were admitted to Machakos Hospital, but they were not treated for one month. They were supposed to be operated on but they were taken round in circles. I used all the means I had at my disposal to address that issue, including communicating with the county government. The assurance that they would be treated was given but they were not treated until they were transferred to Kapkatet District Hospital in Kericho. I asked myself whether we are in Kenya. That is the reality on the ground because people are not being treated equally. It depends on where you come from. Another example is a complex issue touching on Level 5 hospitals. There is a silent war among the counties on who should meet the cost of treating referral cases – people from one county who are referred to a Level 5 hospital in another county. We have tried in this House to allocate money to Level 5 hospitals differently, but there is still that perception that Level 5 hospitals belong to certain counties and not the country. Therefore, when we enact a law such as this, to bring together all the issues affecting health, we should ensure that we coordinate properly. We should ensure that county governments understand the difference between policy, standardisation and control. When this Bill was introduced, some people asked why we are legislating on health and yet the health sector is a devolved function. We must make Kenyans appreciate that whereas the health sector has been devolved, the policy has not. Once county governments appreciate the importance of following policy and law, they will offer the services required by the people. 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."
}