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{
    "id": 943897,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/943897/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 106,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Halake",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13184,
        "legal_name": "Abshiro Soka Halake",
        "slug": "abshiro-soka-halake"
    },
    "content": "Motion that allows us to look at our CHS from the perspective of domestic sustainability so that we come up with our own solutions through community health volunteers. If you look at the community health services, it has all these things but it is the implementation that has not been done. In fact, Sen. Nyamunga, if you add some small things here and there such as incorporation of mental health because it is a bit dated since it was done in 2014 or thereabout, then it will be a very beautiful strategy that will integrate and ensure that people who live and work in our communities and are known to us also take care of us and link us to care centres. They will support us in that sense. The other aspect is that community health volunteers can be a source of data. Right now, the biggest source of revenue for some countries is the data they sell to the pharmaceutical companies. Data on health indicators, immunization levels and many others things that ail us could be collected using mobile phones. Therefore, this can become a planning tool for this country to use community health volunteers as a source of data for the Government. As I speak, the District Health Information Software (DHIS) does not capture community data. You will find an expensive DHIS without data from the communities. If you say that you have certain data, you will be asked for its input. These are the kinds of the things we can sit with Sen. Nyamunga and show her where the gaps are. The bulk of it is there. It is just a little tweaking and those amendments can make us go forward to ensure that the UHC sees the light of day. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is important to look at community based resources such as community health volunteers and workers. In fact, our strategy for community is so robust in this country. We have community units of 5,000 people each covering a certain radius that has a number of community health volunteers attached to it and linked to a facility. It is a beautiful strategy, but there is no implementation or support in terms of resources or supervision from the health care workers. More importantly, all the data goes to waste. Only a small portion of data from organisations, for example, the KRCS and AMREF Health Africa that are supported by international donors get into the system because they pay for it. I do not know what we are doing if we are not collecting data. For people who are so far removed from the realities on the ground as policy makers and planners sitting in Nairobi, what data are they using to plan for our health systems, purchases and investments that we are making in infrastructure and other areas of the health sector? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is a timely Motion that will amend our Health Bill so that other aspects that are missing in it, for example, data and mental health are put in. Sen. Nyamunga is on to something big. We will support her to take this to the next level. These are the kinds of change-making proposals that we need to make sure that we find innovative ways to take care of our health especially now that we are a middle income country. With those few remarks, I support."
}