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{
    "id": 787246,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/787246/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 232,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Dr.) Shaban",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 139,
        "legal_name": "Naomi Namsi Shaban",
        "slug": "naomi-shaban"
    },
    "content": "changing technology, it is very difficult to keep on repairing them. As long as the SAGAs are not given support, more so KNH, we cannot say we have treated our people well. The nurse who caused the mix-up was obviously not in the right frame of mind. Psychologically, the nurse was overworked thus stressed. She could not verify whether she was dealing with the right patients. I am not trying to justify what she did, but most medical personnel in KNH are working under such circumstances. They are normally stressed psychologically and come to work because they do not have a choice. You cannot operate with such a small number of nurses when dealing with such a huge number of patients. Even the doctors there are overstretched. I take this opportunity to thank the University of Nairobi whose registrars - students doing their postgraduate studies - have been the source of medical assistance to Kenyans. They have been giving the most support to KNH. Why is this the case? Much of the money KNH gets for its Recurrent Expenditure, say, to support staff and pay medical personnel, has been reduced substantially over the years. This is as a result of the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) that were put in place, but after that the Government did not think it important to reverse the SAPs which had affected KNH as the largest referral hospital in the country. If you go to the Mathari Mental Hospital, you will find that the situation is worse. Even its board has been rendered useless. If you go to the Spinal Injury Centre, the situation is also as bad as in Mathari Mental Hospital. The MTRH’s Board is trying its best, but it is working under very difficult circumstances. We really need to look at these national institutions in totality. We had suggested in the Departmental Committee on Health that we need to have a referral hospital in each of the former provinces. We need to change the general hospitals to Level 6 hospitals. Once this is done, we should make sure they operate and we fully equip them. That way, KNH will not be overloaded. If you walk to the paediatric oncology wards where children are treated for cancer, you will shed a tear. It is impossible to help the situation given the overwhelming numbers. With those few remarks, I thank the Departmental Committee on Health although I think this Report could have been done in a better way. Thank you."
}