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{
    "id": 598382,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/598382/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 134,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Letimalo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 68,
        "legal_name": "Raphael Lakalei Letimalo",
        "slug": "raphael-letimalo"
    },
    "content": "“…concerned that many lives continue to be lost due to lack of adequate emergency healthcare and poor response to emergencies in the country; noting that only 13 per cent of public health facilities in the country have basic components to support emergency cases---” This is a matter of concern to all of us. It is a confirmation that many of our health facilities are underequipped. In my view, the starting point, just as my colleagues have said and I agree with them, is to ensure that all health facilities regardless of their status - whether it is a health centre, district or referral hospital - should be equipped with the necessary equipment to handle emergencies. The personnel in those health facilities, regardless of their status, for instance, nurses and all the others, should also be trained to handle emergencies. I am saying this because an emergency can occur anywhere. It can happen in an area which is only served by a dispensary. The fact that that is a health facility, the expectation of the victims is that they will be attended to in the health facility. It is important that we equip all our health facilities and train the personnel to be able to attend to any emergency. Thirdly, in certain areas in this country, health facilities are far apart. You will get one health facility in a sub-location and it becomes difficult for people in the interior to access it when they encounter problems or emergencies. The Government should provide ambulances, so that emergency victims from far distances are taken to hospital with ease. We appreciate the fact that the health function has been devolved. County governments have done their best to ensure that they have at least, one or two ambulances in a district. However, given the importance of health and the distance between health facilities, with the support of the national Government, county governments should have enough ambulances to assist in emergency cases. Accidents, particularly motor vehicle accidents, are rampant on our roads. Due to lack of medical personnel to assist in accidents, good Samaritans try to assist the injured, take them to hospital and in the process, due to lack of emergency know how, they end up causing more fatalities. I suggest that as we comment about this curriculum on medical personnel, it is also important that this is expanded to the extent that the Government, through the Ministry of Health, creates public awareness among the medical personnel. Even good Samaritans need to know how to handle such cases so that they do not aggravate the bad situation. We know that when accidents occur, people come to assist, but others loot. Our people should be caring and they should give way to medical personnel so that they can assist injured people."
}