Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 788618,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/788618/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 159,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Waruguru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13253,
        "legal_name": "Catherine Wanjiku Waruguru",
        "slug": "catherine-wanjiku-waruguru"
    },
    "content": "The WHO had predicted that by the year 2020, there would be, at least, 20 million new cancer cases and that three-quarters of those cases will be from the developing countries. The leading cancer is breast cancer in women where 34 out of 100 women have cancer of the breast. Men also tend to be prone to prostate cancer as 17 out 100 men in Kenya have prostate cancer. Now, 70 to 80 per cent of the cases are detected at a late stage, that is, at the third and fourth stage. We have several factors that are back-tracking our fight against cancer in this country. This is probably some of the shortcomings in the system. We need to look at them as legislators. We need to look for answers and solutions which we can get, maybe, in the medium term and in the next one or two years so that, we can offer Kenyans a practical solution to the problems they are facing in the fight against cancer. First, there are inadequate facilities. May I bring to the attention of the House that we have Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital as the only two Government facilities which can attend to cancer patients. In all the referrals that are made from our 47 counties - a good number of our constituencies tend to converge at the two referral hospitals. It is because most Kenyans cannot afford to be attended to at private hospitals like the Nairobi Hospital or Aga Khan University Hospital. We also have Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, which is a public hospital. Those facilities are not enough to cater for the high number of cancer cases. For those patients who cannot access Nairobi Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital or MP Shah Hospital, they tend to die in the villages because they cannot cater for the excess cost beyond what the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) card covers. The NHIF does not cover certain costs. The burden with regards to cancer is left to our private hospitals. Recently, we embarked on a campaign for the NHIF cards. I want to make this revelation to the Floor of the House that our NHIF cards do not cover 100 per cent of the costs for cancer patients in our country. It would only cover around 42 per cent and the rest of the burden is left to poor Kenyans who are dying. In the concluded Motion, you realize that majority of Kenyans are poor and do not even access formal employment. Most of those in informal employment do not regard the NHIF card as something serious. Human capacity is another problem. In the private sector, it is alleged that we only have 23 oncologists in Kenya. Those are doctors who have the relevant training to attend to our cancer patients. I want you to work out the distribution to our counties and the number of people we represent. In Laikipia, we have over 460,000 registered voters. Distribute those 23 oncologists to 47 counties. It is only practical and imaginable that Kenyans would not be treated. They would have to book for appointments 16 days before they can get services from a Government oncologist. In July 2010, one Governor, Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This was a shocking revelation which left majority of us, as Kenyans, perturbed by imagining one Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o could be ailing. Sen. Beth Mugo has come out as a crusader. She is fighting against cancer. There are a good number of Parliamentarians who could be suffering from cancer. I would like to narrow my argument to Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o because he came out clearly advocating against cancer and telling Kenyans to come out in large numbers for sensitization and early detection. After his treatment in the USA, he stated clearly to Kenyans that using technology that was discarded 20 years ago to fight against cancer was only subjecting poor Kenyans to punishment - corporal punishment - which was damaging and deadly. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}