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{
    "id": 886522,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/886522/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 192,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank Sen. (Dr.) Langat for coming up with this Statement. This is an extremely serious Statement because of the reports that I have seen on social media and what I have heard from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union address on television. I am more concerned about the welfare of the remaining 49 doctors who are in Cuba and the circumstances that led to the death of the doctor, who is a relative to one of our colleagues from the National Assembly. Our Committee should sit down with the Council of Governors and the Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Health to interrogate the terms and conditions for this exchange program. I have seen the living conditions of those doctors, the places where they live, their access to medicine and food. That must be interrogated in a manner that is going to create the necessary transparency in this nation. We treat their Cuban colleagues well in terms of accommodation, welfare, payment and so forth. In the principle of reciprocity, this House demands equal treatment for the doctors in Cuba. Training one doctor, like the one that we have lost, is not an easy thing. It is such an expensive process. It costs over Kshs10 million to train one doctor though one cannot quantify the value of life whether one is a doctor or not. I thank Sen. Kasanga for coming up with a Bill on mental health. There is concern about mental health in this country. In fact, the most affected people are those that you would expect to have everything that they need in life. Mental health is an area that we must deal with as a country and that includes giving people, who are suffering depression, psychosocial support. I agree with Sen. (Dr.) Langat and request that the Committee on Health acts expeditiously. Within the next two weeks or even less, they should give us an interim answer on the condition and situation of the doctors. In fact, we want to see a high ranking Government official, at the level of a Permanent Secretary and above, visit those doctors in Cuba and give us real time response regarding their welfare. There is nothing wrong with admitting that this thing is not working if that is the case. We can have our doctors back then train them in other countries. That is not the only place where they can be trained. What kind of training can they achieve if they do not have the mental stability to consume and absorb any knowledge? I urge you, from your very important seat of authority, to order the Committee on Health to give us an answer within the next one week. When they invite the Government officials that are responsible, we will be more than happy to attend as friends of the Committee so as to listen to the response to that important question."
}