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{
    "id": 725296,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/725296/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 183,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ababu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 108,
        "legal_name": "Ababu Tawfiq Pius Namwamba",
        "slug": "ababu-namwamba"
    },
    "content": "obsessed with putting a lot of emphasis on the top echelons of most of the professions to an extent that you want to train and put a lot of emphasis on engineers without paying attention to the technicians that do the nuts and bolts of work that really keep the wheel of our economy running. You want to focus a lot of attention on doctors and forget that a considerable percentage, if not the greater percentage of medical services across this country, rest in the hands of clinicians. Therefore, to have a law which specifically seeks to streamline and harmonise the environment in which clinicians operate is progressive and is certainly one that must be commended. Before I contribute to this Bill, let me first of all commend the Court of Appeal for what it did earlier this morning. We know that the course of justice is supposed to advance justice and not to inhibit justice or to interfere with the best public interest. So, the decision of the Court of Appeal to decide that the leaders of the doctors union be released pronto and to also require the negotiations between the union and the employer commence immediately is progressive. That is a progressive judicial decision. Whereas I am a respecter of the rule of law and that at the heart of respect for the rule of law is to respect judicial decisions and pronouncements, I found it absolutely negative for the High Court to have decided to send the leaders of the union to jail. Of course, I say that aware that this was done in the context of contempt of court and we all have to respect decisions of the court. At the same time, courts handling a matter such as this should be part of the solution and not join the side of the problem. This is a matter which has very many facets. Sending a couple of doctors to jail for one month, in my humble view, does not by any stretch of imagination, offer a solution to this protracted problem. So, I congratulate the Court of Appeal. I hope all the sides in this controversy will get the opportunity or a window presented by this ruling to resolve this matter once and for all. This, of course, goes to the Government. The Government needs to really pay serious attention to this; the Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mailu and the Principal Secretary (PS) Muraguri. I have had the privilege to serve as a Cabinet Minister in this country. When you are a minister, you must execute the authority of your office effectively; the full authority of your office. From where I am seated, I am not seeing that in the person of Mr. Mailu as a CS for Health. I am not seeing the same in the person of Mr. Muraguri who is the PS. They are not offering leadership. They are also not offering direction. They are engaging in cat and mouse games that will not give us a solution. It is at this point that you want to see the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of this Republic, His Excellency the President, demonstrate leadership. At the end of the day, the buck stops with the President. We know that the primary responsibility of any president or government is to protect the lives of the people. Mr President, kazi kwako. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, this law will help us to a large extent. It will provide a proper arena or environment for officers who, as far as provision of health services is concerned, carry about 90 per cent of the burden. If you walk to any health institution in this country anywhere, be they small and tiny dispensaries in the villages or bigger institutions like the Nairobi Hospital and the Aga Khan University Hospital, you will land in the hands of clinicians. These are the people who are going to handle you; these are the people who are going to offer most of the services that you require in these institutions. These are people who need to be properly trained. Training is key. I am glad this law will streamline the issue of training. I really want to commend the KMTC. They have done a good job in expanding training opportunities for medical officers. But, you want to make sure that we retain very high standards in the training of clinicians, with new 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."
}