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{
    "id": 937480,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/937480/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 28,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Halake",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13184,
        "legal_name": "Abshiro Soka Halake",
        "slug": "abshiro-soka-halake"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I also rise to support this Petition that has been brought to the House by Sen. Cherargei. Anything that touches on the most vulnerable does not see the light of day in our country, which is really sad. This group consists of people from the community health volunteers, to the community health workers, to what we used to call community health extension workers, to now even our clinical officers. We are seeing real disrespect and disregard for the people that carry the health sector on their backs. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of 2017 was also part of the return to work formula that was given. However, we have seen wanton disregard for anything that is touching on the most vulnerable communities, and clinical officers are the ones that serve in the dispensaries, in Level Two, Level Three and the lower level hospitals. So far, from what I have seen, the Ministry of Health continues to look down on the health personnel and a lot of resources that are supposed to go down to the counties. How do we expect to get Universal Health Coverage (UHC), especially in the counties, even in the pilot counties? Isiolo is one of the pilot counties for UHC, and it was chosen for a reason. The reason was that there was almost near absolute absence of personnel, resources, equipment and the existence of long distances between existing dispensaries. Now, with the advent of the non-honoring of this CBA, many people that used to work in these dispensaries have gone back. We now do not have anybody looking after people in these places. You will even find mkokoteni’s carrying people for 50 kilometers all the way to town centers where they can find a doctor. This is unacceptable, and it is about time the Ministry was compelled to do what it is supposed to do, because it is not going to be business as usual. The UHC cannot just be on paper and on podiums. The components of UHC are the personnel, resources and equipment, yet all these are missing. I, therefore, do not know in which vacuum we are going to achieve the objectives and principles of UHC. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I support and look forward to the Committee of Labour and Social Welfare or the Committee on Health – whichever is the case – going to the bottom of this issue, because counties and our villages are suffering. Thank you. I beg to support."
}