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{
    "id": 722802,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/722802/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 179,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Barua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1529,
        "legal_name": "Ejidius Njogu Barua",
        "slug": "ejidius-njogu-barua"
    },
    "content": "medicine. In my view, training and capacity building are important. Most of the clinical officers operate in the rural areas. They offer very good services to members of the communities who cannot afford the services of doctors. The doctors only operate in big cities like Nairobi and Kisumu. In Gichugu, we have about three doctors in the whole constituency. Rural communities in Kenya depend on the services of clinical officers. The Clinical Officers Council of Kenya is an association that pulls the clinical officers together. They will use that forum to ventilate issues of concern that they may want to raise with the Government, especially on recognition. In some rural communities, there are several people pretending and practising as clinical officers. Some of them even refer to themselves as doctors. Due to the fact that we do not have a coordinated way of identifying clinical officers in the rural communities, we are putting the communities at risk. Herbalists are now starting their own clinics. The proposed Council will ensure that clinical officers know each other. They will have a directory or register where one can refer in case of doubt and confirm whether one is authorised to practise as a clinician or not. This profession is getting more and more important. A few years ago, we never used to have clinical officers with degrees. Several universities in this country are now offering degrees in clinical medicine. So, the profession is getting higher up the ladder and, hence, the cadre of clinical officers should be regulated. The time to regulate the profession has come. That is why I support the Clinical Officers Council of Kenya. As the previous speaker, the Member for Mbooni, Hon. Munyao, has said, there is the issue of standards. It is good for us to ensure that some certain minimum standards of practice are maintained. As it is now, it is not easy or even possible to define those standards. It is not possible because there is no avenue that exists in law that can be used to put together those clinical officers. They can draft the regulations of practice and have them adopted by the people affected. Once we put the Clinical Officers Council of Kenya in place - just like the Teachers’ Service Commission--- Teachers and doctors are able to speak as a team through their union. The clinical officers will, for once, have a very important forum through which they can argue their issues, advance their interests and improve the services in the rural communities. That way, they will save the communities from exploitation by unqualified people who may try to infiltrate that important profession. The Bill also provides for a disciplinary committee. This means that somebody who is a member of the Council and who violates the ethics of practice can be disciplined, or even be removed from the register of practising clinical officers. This is going to ensure that we put in place discipline and accountability among the clinical officers, so that they do not go off their way to offer substandard services. I would like to mention one or two things about devolution. I will also mention a few things about the doctors’ strike. Starting with devolution, I note that health services are devolved and by extension, the practice of clinical officers still operates and continues operating. That raises a constitutional change under the county governments. It is also important for county governments to ensure that officers responsible in that medical sector understand the sector so that they can discuss and negotiate issues with the doctors. As it is now, the doctors’ strike is going on. It can be solved if goodwill is availed from both sides. The health sector is devolved. The county governments are not coming to the forefront to negotiate the process with the doctors and help the national Government to find a solution. Devolution must be implemented to the letter. If the county governments continue to fight for more space and they have actually accepted to take over the medical practice, I submit that it is high time we see more and more governors - and especially the Chair of the Council of Governors and the chair of the health 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."
}