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{
    "id": 917438,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/917438/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 307,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 124,
        "legal_name": "Samson Kegeo Ongeri",
        "slug": "samson-ongeri"
    },
    "content": "They have now developed resistance to particular bacterial infections. Therefore, treating chronic illnesses that have developed resistance to basic drugs that are useful and essential in the market has now become a major problem. That is why you are having so much of this chronicity of illnesses within the society and people do not get better sooner or later. That is one of the problems. Getting KEMSA to be in charge of procurement of drugs and medical equipment was to assess the efficacy and the molecule which would drive, at the minimum dose, to treat a particular disease and cure it on the prescribed days. This could be one week or ten days, whatever the prescription from qualified doctors. That is the essence of ensuring that KEMSA gives that expertise of efficacy to be able to supply these drugs. Secondly, KEMSA was set up to impart safety. You can have a drug produced, but is it safe? Is the drug manufactured by properly registered pharmaceutical industries or they are from the side kiosks and the patients fall victims of these drugs? It is important that the element of safety is factored in. Then there was the question of quality. I have talked about efficacy – whether it is enough dosage – safety and affordability of that drug. These are the elements that this Bill is seeking to transfer to the county governments because they are the people in charge of health at the county level. Unless we are careful, we may pass on a monster and create a bigger one than what we started with. I am bringing up all these elements to the fore so that we can see where we stand. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the fourth element is very critical. These drugs must be available and distributed on a timely fashion. I will invite you to go to your county or to my county, in Kisii. When you ask a simple question to the county executive with regard to where they have ordered their drugs from, they will say that they are from KEMSA. This sounds fine. When you ask where the packages of the drugs are, they will show you. Take an extra interest to open up those boxes; they do not contain the very basic, essential drugs necessary and important for running the health institutions at the peripheral levels. The bulk of those procured boxes you see there are condoms. I am not castigating condoms, but that is what you get; which is simple equipment that is used for socialization. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am worried because people are being told that there are medical supplies from KEMSA. Since they have been made to believe in KEMSA, they say that they have adequate supplies, which will be delivered to our health centres and dispensaries. Unfortunately, they are not there. As a medical professor, my major interest would be whether we have the essentials in that kit, like the immunization packages through the cold storage. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}