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{
    "id": 682876,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/682876/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 82,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. A.B. Duale",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "From the outset, let me state that I have talked to the Mover of this Bill, Hon. Stephen Mule, and we have agreed in principle, that the aspect of the creation of a board will be dealt with at the Committee of the whole House, so that we can regulate the other aspects like training, conduct, registration and licensing of this specialised group of health professionals. Under the Jubilee administration, we have invested heavily in all the 47 counties. Every county has two hospitals where high quality equipment is being installed. These are equipment like MRI machines and other screening machines that will cost the taxpayers about Kshs38 billion. Having these machines in our rural hospitals and to be more specific, in every county, the Jubilee administration has the objective of decongesting the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. There is need to avail these facilities to Kenyans at the county level. No one will come to KNH all the way from Garissa, Kisumu, Nandi, Kilifi to seek specialised treatment anymore. This Bill has been brought forth at the right time. After making such huge investments to the tune of Kshs38 billion, we must have a law that regulates, licenses, and takes care of the training of these specialised people. It is only those who do not see and those who do not hear that fail to see what the Jubilee administration, under Uhuru Kenyatta, is doing. If you go to any county hospital today, you will see those facilities. As we discuss this Bill, I want to appeal to the Governor of Machakos, Hon. Mutua to, please, stop chest-thumping. He is my best friend, but he should come to the table and listen to the plea of the medical doctors. The Government and the people have invested a lot in training doctors. Today, you will meet doctors who are also pilots. I saw a lady doctor who decided to become a journalist because of the frustrations she went through at the county level. This House has appropriated over Kshs300 million for every Level 5 hospital. For instance, Kisumu Level 5 Hospital has been allocated Kshs350million and Garissa PGH has been allocated Kshs350 million. So many other hospitals in the former provinces have been allocated money. Before the advent of devolution, because I was in the 10th Parliament, the Garissa PGH was operating smoothly. The Permanent Secretary for Health then and the man who served as the Director of Medical Services, Dr. Nyikal, who is sitting in this House, will attest to it. There were theatres and laboratory equipment during his time. Things were working in all hospitals. If you go to those hospitals today, all equipment are obsolete and redundant. We do not want to invest Kshs38 billion to go and take specialised equipment closer to the people and not regulate training, licensing and use of those machines by the people who are concerned. That is why the Biomedical Engineers Bill is in this House at the right time. I urge my friend, Hon. Mutua, to find a solution by bringing people to the table. Being magnanimous is a sign of good leadership. Leaders should not solve their differences through corridors of justice. You cannot solve doctors’ crisis by going to court. You cannot solve teachers’ crisis by going to court. The poor people in Machakos County are the ones who will ultimately suffer. When Hon. Mutua’s family is sick, they access medical attention at the Nairobi Hospital yet the people of Matungulu Constituency and Machakos County cannot. They would like to access doctors’ services at the Machakos Level 5 Hospital. I also want to remind our doctors that the hypocritical oath that they took must be respected. The doctor’s strike should be the last resort. The Minister for Health, Hon. Mailu, his Principal Secretary (PS) and the Governor, Dr. Mutua, should sit with the doctors at the Machakos Level 5 Hospital. We do not want to see Kenyans dying or being returned home because of lack of medical attention. We shall deal with the matter of the board in the Committee of the whole House. This is a very important Bill."
}