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{
    "id": 613203,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/613203/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 336,
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    "content": "They collaborated with others to ensure that when a woman delivers a baby, that baby disappears mysteriously. This is not just happening in Pumwani Maternity Hospital, but in many other health facilities in this country. Women are crying out there for losing their babies. If we had fully devolved health services in this country, some of these things would not happen. This Senate must do a thorough investigation in all our health facilities. We cannot continue sitting here assuming that everything is okay when many patients are suffering and have undergone wrong surgeries and so on. We have very many pending cases of negligence and wrong prescriptions by doctors. All these cases should be investigated so that patients who have suffered under these doctors get justice. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if indeed, as a country we need to deal with the challenges we are facing, the first step is to examine our character and attitude. We should ask ourselves: When I go to work in the morning in a public office, what is expected of me? Am I doing my job just for the sake of it or because of pay? There were days when doctors and nurses were driven by call for duty. It is no longer a call. Nowadays, they do not treat it as a career. They come in with an attitude. They do not have the attitude to give service, but they are driven by salaries and other things. That is it. These are some of the challenges we face as we move on. We also need to look at the education sector and ask ourselves whether students are enrolled to medical colleges as a career or they are being forced by circumstances. In most of our colleges and universities, we have parallel or Module II programmes where students are allowed to upgrade their education in medicine. Are these programmes well structured to produce competent doctors and nurses? Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, many people are joining various professions just to have names, for example, to be called doctor so and so. Therefore, when they go to give services, they do not even have the heart to provide the service. It is something we must start looking at critically. The professions which are necessary to transform this country must be merited and students must work for them. If one does not meet the qualifications to be an engineer, architect, doctor or lawyer, they can pursue other professions. That is when the best services are provided. When I imagine Jacinta, I think it would be prudent if the Senate visited her to hear her story. It will enlighten us on how to manage trauma. As we talk about it, maybe we have traumatized her. Maybe she is wondering if we might be of any help to her. Therefore, we cannot raise her hopes and end up shelving the Report. We have to ensure that we follow up with the investigators to ensure that we get to the bottom of what happened. After that, the Senate must make a visit to the hospital so that we understand how it operates. When I look at the National Assembly’s Committee on Health, it is trying to ensure that the health sector becomes the responsibility of the national Government. This is because out there, people are crying. The hospitals have not taken the right drugs. Some of the governors have decided to purchase drugs elsewhere. When you visit KEMSA, you find that drugs are unavailable or they are expired because the counties are not purchasing from them. At the county referral hospitals, there are no drugs for the patients. This is because the health sector is not being taken seriously and viewed as a 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."
}