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{
    "id": 598329,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/598329/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 81,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Limo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1915,
        "legal_name": "Joseph Kirui Limo",
        "slug": "joseph-kirui-limo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion as amended. Emergencies occur without any indication. We should, therefore, identify the risk of those events occurring. We should also look for mitigating controls to ensure that if emergencies occur, the impact will not be as huge as when we are not prepared. Unfortunately, in this country, we leave everything to God. We are not prepared at all. The way ambulances are stationed in many hospitals in this country shows that they are not prepared. Drivers are not stationed there and some of them have to be called from their houses. This causes delays. Emergencies should be treated as emergencies. Once there is delay, then it will be very costly. In the hospitals, most of the members of staff lack training. They also lack understanding and care when it comes to handling emergency cases. They are supposed to handle such cases with diligence, without caring whether they will be paid or not. The Health Bill which is before this House, has taken into account the issue of cost. There is a provision which ensures that people who handle emergencies using their private facilities are reimbursed. This reduces the number of people who are rejected in hospitals. That is because under the emergency response, they are supposed to be treated without worrying who is going to cover the cost. Unfortunately, the current structure in the health sector is worrying. That is because under the new Constitution, the health function is devolved. However, many counties are not prepared. They do not understand that devolving health does not mean treating people who come from your county and leaving out those from other counties. It is sad. When an emergency occurs, it does not choose where you are. You could be a resident of Mombasa and get an emergency situation in Busia. It is not possible for anybody to choose where those emergencies will occur. I have an experience with regard to those situations. Many hospitals in this country choose who to treat and yet, they are public hospitals. They look at where you come from. This is a very sad story. In fact, it is a time bomb. Last month, three of my constituents were involved in a road accident along Mombasa Road near Machakos. They were admitted at Machakos Hospital. They stayed there for a full month without treatment. After several attempts to involve the county government, they were transferred to Kericho County, where I come from. It is a very sad case. This is not an isolated case. Those things are happening in the whole country. If we do not resolve the structural issues and understanding what counties have in terms of treatment, this training will be futile. We should ensure that counties recognise that this is one country. We are only dividing it into counties for the purpose of efficiency. It should not be a reason to be inefficient in terms of choosing who to treat and who not to treat. This is a real story I am telling you. Those three patients come from a place called Kiptenden and Cheribo in my constituency. They are now undergoing a lot of stress because they were forced to undergo many operations which should not have happened if they were treated under emergency. When you are injured and treatment is delayed, that creates complications. One of the patients had to be transferred to Tenwek Mission Hospital. It cost the family a lot of money. If those staff were well trained and had a human heart, they would have prevented the situation from getting worse. Therefore, when we 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."
}