{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=138583","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=138581","results":[{"id":1402231,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402231/?format=json","text_counter":300,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Chute","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13583,"legal_name":"Chute Mohamed Said","slug":"chute-mohamed-said"},"content":"It takes huge sacrifice. The CBA states a 300 per cent increase. We need the President's intervention to talk to the doctors. Every minute, a Kenyan woman, man, or young person is dying. If you look at the CBA that they signed, one of the doctors said that the strike was over, but the dispute remains. This means that the dispute existed before and is being experienced now. Madam Temporary Speaker, I urge Parliament to intervene in this matter. It concerns the people of Kenya. We represent almost 60 million Kenyans who are suffering. Senators here today have a medical insurance card, which is fully paid. We visit private hospitals while the people we represent go to dispensaries and clinics, not private hospitals."},{"id":1402232,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402232/?format=json","text_counter":301,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Veronica Maina","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Senator, your time is up. Sen. Okiya Omtatah, proceed."},{"id":1402233,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402233/?format=json","text_counter":302,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Okiya Omtatah","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Madam Temporary Speaker, I rise to support the Motion. This is an unfortunate situation in our country. We also had a similar situation in the United Kingdom (UK). If you followed the news, the junior doctors and senior doctors, The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1402234,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402234/?format=json","text_counter":303,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Okiya Omtatah","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"whom we refer to as consultants, were striking, and they had their way of solving the issues. In this country, we need to be sober regarding public expenditure. Before addressing the question of not paying doctors, we must sober up and get our priorities right. This Government and the past Government could pay doctors if they were disciplined in the budget, eliminating corruption and wastefulness. We have a Cabinet competing to show off the kind of watches they can wear, some costing up to Kshs30 million. We see people spending money like there is no problem. When they say there is no money to pay the doctors, how do we justify the push to recruit the Cabinet Administrative Secretaries (CAS) with no work to do according to the constitutional structure? So, the question of pay needs to be looked at. We need to rationalize how we use public funds. Regarding the issue of doctors, I would like to go back to the Constitution, 2010 drafting process. For whatever reasons, doctors, prison officers, teachers, Judiciary, and Parliament pushed for commissions to take care of their human resource interests. The teachers, Judiciary, and Parliament got it. I have the report of the Committee of experts. An undertaking was made that they would set up a national health commission to address the doctors’ pay and of people employed in the health sector. Time has come for us to consider delivering on that promissory note. We should have a national mechanism for hiring and rotating doctors. Right now, even if doctors go to the counties, chances for growth and studies are not there. It is like we are consigning them to what some people call kaburi la sahau . We need to do that. The other thing is that we need to interrogate the Constitution well, especially the Fourth Schedule. Did the people of Kenya really devolve health? If they did, did they devolve both primary and secondary health? When I read the Fourth Schedule, what was devolved is primary health, where counties are charged with the duty of preventing people from falling sick. If somebody falls sick, the national Government should take over. What was retained at the national Government are national health referral facilities. When we devolved, we considered them to be national hospitals or centres of excellence, like Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). We forgot that some of centres of excellence like Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital. It is a Level 4 Hospital, but a centre of excellence when it comes to mental health. We have another one that deals with spinal cord injuries. Despite it being a national hospital and a centre of excellence, it is a Level 4 Hospital. Alupe Sub County Referral Hospital in Busia is a centre of excellence for---"},{"id":1402235,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402235/?format=json","text_counter":304,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Veronica Maina","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Senator, you have one more minute."},{"id":1402236,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402236/?format=json","text_counter":305,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Okiya Omtatah","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Thank you very much. We need to go back and look at the architecture that the people of Kenya gave in terms of devolving or not devolving the health sector. We also need to make sure that money follows what is devolved. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1402237,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402237/?format=json","text_counter":306,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Okiya Omtatah","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"I would have expected the Cabinet Secretary to tell us the percentage of the budget for health and what goes to counties. If you check, the bulk of the money remains in Nairobi and should not be accepted. We need to make sure that money goes to the ground and health facilities are revived and become operational. Concerning the people who are dying because of the strike, the Government should know that it can be sued for the duty of care and negligence. They should not take this lightly. We might have to get the data of people who have died and sue the Government for compensation."},{"id":1402238,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402238/?format=json","text_counter":307,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Veronica Maina","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Your time is up. Proceed, Sen. Betty Montet."},{"id":1402239,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402239/?format=json","text_counter":308,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Montet Betty","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me a chance to also add my voice to this important Motion brought by Sen. Mumma. It is unfortunate and sad because the situation in our country today is bad. There is nothing as bad us what people are going through when they have sick persons. Some come from very far to go to referral hospitals, but when they get there, there are no services. They are simply told the doctors are not there. In my opinion, as the other Senators have put it, health services are devolved, but we all agree that they are not fully devolved. As we know, it is the responsibility of the national Government to train doctors and keep standards and policies. The responsibility lies wholly on the national Government. It is unfortunate that when the Cabinet Secretary for Health came here today in the morning, she took the issue casually. It was like she was speaking to any other labour dispute, while this is a matter of life and death. Kenyans are suffering, but they do not have money to go to private hospitals. Kenyans do not have money to go to private hospitals. I believe that if the push and pull can be put aside and this issue of doctors is taken seriously, we can come up with a solution. If the Cabinet Secretary puts her foot down and says, “I want to work for Kenyans. I have to solve this problem because Kenyans are suffering,” I am sure, she will come up with a solution and sort out this issue once and for all, as she put it herself. Madam Temporary Speaker, it was also very unfortunate that the Cabinet Secretary--- As the Senators were asking her to give the figures, she should have taken that opportunity to show the nation the altitude of that problem, give the figures of the number of people we are losing in our hospitals and those who are suffering. I am sure Kenyans would have taken her seriously. She would have given hope to this nation, but she just brushed it out that the doctors have to come to the table. I urge the Government, and indeed, the Head of State, to seriously look into this issue. We know he has the capacity and capability. If he can have the will to resolve this issue, the issue of doctors will be sorted once and for all. The issue of reducing whatever they had negotiated is very unfortunate. I appeal to this Government to, please, help Kenyans. Let us not have a sick nation. Please, sort out the issue. Kenyans are suffering and we are looking upon them to help us. Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1402240,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1402240/?format=json","text_counter":309,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Veronica Maina","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, hon. Senator. This is a Motion that was brought under Standing Order 37, and it does not require that a question be put at the end of the debate. Therefore, that brings us to the end of the discussion on this Motion."}]}