Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 618516,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/618516/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 308,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mulu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1955,
        "legal_name": "Benson Makali Mulu",
        "slug": "benson-makali-mulu"
    },
    "content": "I want to start by thanking Hon. Mule, the MP for Matungulu, for coming up with this important Bill. This being a Private Member’s Bill, we must all appreciate the fact that the efforts which have gone into it are commendable. As a Member of the Wiper Party of Kenya, I want to associate myself with Hon. Mule. He is doing well by promoting our party as well as the coalition that we belong to. Thank you Hon. Mule for coming up with this Bill. Having read this Bill, I want to say that it is quite timely. We are aware that there has been a shift in terms of policy in the health sector, where the Government is talking more about leasing medical equipment rather than buying. One of the issues that I have been raising even as a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, has always been whether, as a country, we have the capacity to sustain, maintain and make proper use of equipment that comes from outside this country. This Bill tends to shed some light at the end of the tunnel because biomedical engineers are people who can maintain medical equipment. This Bill is timely. It will help this country a lot in terms of ensuring that we have standardised training programmes for engineers. At the same time, it provides basic qualifications in terms of who should be called a biomedical engineer. This provision is very important because, at the end of the day, we will have people who are qualified to undertake the important task of maintaining medical equipment. At the same time, there is the issue of registration. Other than one just being called a biomedical engineer, the Bill stipulates very clearly the qualifications one requires so that one can be registered as a biomedical engineer. That also provides quality assurance in this important sector. Another interesting aspect of this Bill is that there is a whole section on disciplinary action that can be taken against unqualified individuals pretending to be biomedical engineers. If I am claiming to be a registered biomedical engineer and it is discovered that I do not have the right qualifications, there is clearly stated disciplinary action that can be taken against me. That provision is very important because it will shield us from quacks in that important sector. In this Bill, there are three or four issues I would want to raise so that even as we move forward, we can think of amendments. One of them is the issue that you have just raised – of the Bill not being a money Bill. I had actually picked it with Hon. Mule. The question I was asking is: When you look at the composition of the proposed board and even the hiring of a registrar, there is heavy involvement of the Cabinet Secretary (CS); meaning that we expect the CS in charge of health services to be involved with the matters of this board. I was wondering why we need to bring the CS into this matter. If you bring in the CS in terms of approving of the budget and appointment of the registrar, you would most likely expect them to fund the board. That ties very well with the issue that Hon. Gumbo raised: whether, looking at the number of biomedical engineers who are qualified to be registered by the proposed board, they can sustain the operations of board without funding from the Exchequer. Personally, I would go the way of the lawyers. In the activities of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), there is very minimal Government involvement. That puts us in a catch 22 situation. What will happen if we go that way is that the number of the biomedical engineers in this country might not make the board effectively operational because they might not be able to generate enough financial resources. At the same time, if you bring funding from the Consolidated Fund, then we need to change the title of the Bill in terms of it not being a money Bill. That is because it becomes a money Bill. At one point, we will need to bring in the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the CS of the National Treasury so that we do not go against the law. 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."
}