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{
    "id": 787195,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/787195/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 181,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Dr.) Simiyu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 141,
        "legal_name": "David Eseli Simiyu",
        "slug": "david-eseli"
    },
    "content": "a simple mistake like equipment management service which is a national Government contribution to county governments yet they forgot to equip their own hospitals. By the Constitution, the national Government runs the health services but they forgot to even put equipment at KNH. The KNH now does not even have a functional MRI. In my view, with the capacity of KNH, they should have about five MRI equipment working. We even forgot to equip KNH. We have what I call a misplaced way of looking at healthcare and unless we put our minds together and do something about it, we are headed for big trouble. As I finish and this is the elephant in the room, I am surprised that we have not faced it squarely as a nation that unless we look at our population growth rate, which far outstrips our economic growth rate, we are in trouble. We will never be able to provide services to our people because the population growth rate is outstripping our economic growth. That is one area many governments get scared of because of the churches. When you talk about family planning, churches come with all sorts of things. As politicians, we want huge populations because we think it guarantees us leadership. As a nation we need to think seriously. We cannot divorce population growth from economic development. Population growth is what is leading to the failing health services in the sense that whatever health service sector does with the high population growth rate…Even if you talk about mismanaged maternity care, what would you imagine a midwife who, when on duty has to deliver about 30 women in a day, would do? That midwife will be exhausted and that will lead to mismanagement. We need to look at this thing holistically as a nation. We need a serious conversation about healthcare. What we have recommended is good, but we need to institute that. What we are doing is treating symptoms, not the actual disease. We need a serious relook at our healthcare sector and what needs to be done to remedy the situation before it gets out of hand. Thank you, Hon. Speaker."
}