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{
    "id": 998679,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/998679/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 28,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Were",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13183,
        "legal_name": "Petronila Were Lokorio",
        "slug": "petronila-were-lokorio"
    },
    "content": "diagnosed with heart complications and informed that it required urgent surgery. This was between 2.00 a.m. and 3.00 a.m. Sadly though, the hospital demanded that before the surgery could be performed, a deposit of KShs500,000 had to be paid upfront. Unfortunately, the young man could not raise such a huge amount of money. Therefore, he resorted to calling his aunt, whom he thought would be in a better position to handle such a financial obligation. He thus embarked on a journey back to Ruiru to pick up his aunt. Mr. Speaker, Sir, considering that it was still during curfew hours, the young man got arrested along Thika Superhighway, near the Safari Park Hotel. It took a lot of time for the said young man to explain the situation he was in, and was later released. The patient was lying at the hospital awaiting treatment that was not forthcoming unless money was paid. At one point, the patient, irrespective of her condition, ended up making a payment via Mpesa at 4.45 a.m. This signifies that had she received some form of care, her life would have been saved. However, it was not until 4.27 a.m. that the hospital made an attempt to treat the patient, after Kshs5,000 had been paid in cash, and further following a guarantee that Kshs200,000 would be paid at daybreak, with the hospital still insisting that the bare minimum acceptable deposit was Kshs300,000. Throughout the night, the relatives mobilized resources in the wee hours of the morning. It was only after the money had been paid that the patient was taken to theatre at 7.45 a.m. Unfortunately, she died at 9.39 a.m. That is a death that could have been prevented had the hospital upheld their claim of being a patient-centred hospital that has compassion as one of its core values; and had the attending doctors answered to their Hippocratic Oath to which they swear when being commissioned to medical service at graduation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to conclude by requesting you to commit this matter to the Standing Committee on Health, in order for the Committee to investigate the fact that the hospital caused the untimely death of a patient by putting commercial interests before the well-being of a patient, contrary to Article 43(1)(a) of the Constitution, as read together with Section 7 of the Health Act on emergency treatment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir."
}