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{
    "id": 943864,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/943864/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 73,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "were focusing on asking every person who comes to hospital if they drink water directly from the river, or if they boil it. It became a consistent reminder that people must know that taking clean water and boiling water is the greatest step of preventing dysentery, diarrhoea and so on. You do not have to wait until you have diarrhoea and then you go to hospital for treatment. These are the same people who told the citizens of this country of how to deal with mosquitoes. They did this by sensitizing them about their environment, by making sure that they cut grass around their homes and ensure that there was no stagnant water within their compound. Those simple things can prevent a lot when it comes to treatment instead of spending money in the treatment of malaria. I was watching a documentary on Citizen Television last night about our soldiers in Sierra Leone. They were fighting in the forest, but inside that forest, they had a surgeon with them. They were being treated by a doctor. They did not need a hospital to treat their soldiers for bullet wounds; they just needed a qualified health officer and the equipment to use. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we should not focus so much about the structures and the huge buildings being we call ‘flagship projects’ for the counties. If you go to Elgeyo-Marakwet County, the Iten Referral Hospital, which was doing so well a few years ago, is now on its knees. This is because their focus has not been getting the right health workers and medicines to those hospitals. There are complaints across the country that the health facilities in our country are deteriorating so fast because we are focusing on the hardware and the buildings. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to tell you why buildings are more attractive to many people. It is because if we were to buy medicine, treat people and hire the right health workers to serve people, there is no 10 per cent or 50 per cent cut. However, as long as we are building structures and huge buildings, there are kickbacks. They become avenues for corruption and for people to make money. What we must focus on is the software that is able to address the problems that the people face."
}