Rt. Hon.(Eng) Raila Amolo Odinga

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 271 to 280 of 1732.

• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: As we meet in this august House today, hundreds or thousands of our fellow Kenyans are in pain and agony; some are lying helpless in their homes; some are lying hopeless in the open air simply because they cannot afford medical care, or because there are no healthcare facilities close to them. Many Kenyans die needlessly either because their disease is not detected early or because they are not provided with prompt and appropriate medical care. Article 43 of our Constitution makes, among others, the following declarations:- (1) Every person has the right – (a) to the highest attainable standard ... view
• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: 2) A person shall not be denied emergency medical treatment. (3) The State shall provide appropriate social security to persons who are unable to support themselves and their dependants. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which Kenya is a signatory both uphold the outlined rights. This is the basis of my Statement to this House today. view
• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: Communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, diarrhea and typhoid fever are killing millions of our citizens. None communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases are on the rise. Collectively, these diseases contribute to more than 50 per cent of all admissions to public hospitals. They are responsible for nearly half of the total of hospital deaths in Kenya. In maternal healthcare, it is estimated that 7,700 women die each year from pregnancy related complications. This translates to 21 women dying each day, or one woman dying each hour from preventable causes. Safe motherhood is, ... view
• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, as we meet here, thousands of Kenyans are meeting in different places to raise money to take their loved ones abroad for treatment. Thousands are at fundraising gatherings to raise money for hospital bills. Thousands of desperate citizens cling to doctors’ prescriptions for months, and even years, because they do not have the money to buy the drugs from pharmacies. We have a crisis in the form of unacceptably high cost of treatment and willful lack of medical facilities, yet the provision of universal healthcare is the stated policy of the Government of Kenya since Independence in ... view
• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: The Government, through the Ministries of health, is implementing several policies to improve healthcare. Nevertheless, about a million Kenyans slip below the poverty line each year as a result of medical costs they have incurred. These are among the 40 per cent of Kenyans today who have no option but to obtain healthcare through out of pocket payments. The only way to change this is through a system of truly universal healthcare, and we believe the key to that is the strengthening of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). view
• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: You will recall that the Government, after elaborate stakeholder consultations, developed Sessional Paper No.2 of 2004 on the national social health insurance in Kenya. A Bill was presented to this Parliament, its main objective being universal provision of quality healthcare. However, although passed by this House, the Bill did not get the nod from the Government of the day. The main reason was the perceived unsustainability of the scheme. Private sector players also feared the loss of business to the public sector. In the light of this experience, the Ministries of health in 2007 began further work in these areas, ... view
• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: The Central Organization of Trade Union (COTU) opposed this plan on several grounds. The COTU was concerned that insufficient consultations had taken place and that the increased funds remitted by workers would be eaten up in administrative expenses rather than in providing improved services. COTU also criticized the previous mismanagement of the NHIF resources and investments, and advised a restructuring of the institution before it demanded increased contributions from workers. view
• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we understand and share COTU’s concerns. However, the NHIF currently covers only about a fifth of Kenyans. Coverage for the informal sector and the poorest remain low with the benefits limited to hospital care. Reimbursement to those treated in the private sector is limited to bed charges. It is, therefore, important for the Government to continue and strengthen consultations. Let us agree on a programme of national health insurance whose implementation takes care of the concerns of all parties and which most importantly extends affordable and quality medicare. view
• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, the devolved health systems envisaged in the Constitution provide an enormous opportunity for the development of more responsive and more affordable health services and for addressing some of the equity and efficiency concerns about the centralized systems. Of course, to reap the full benefits of devolved health systems, it is crucial to strengthen the capacities of the counties and particularly those counties where the reduction of inequities demands that they be accorded priority. The proposed resource allocation formula is the most appropriate for providing optimum resources to those areas where medical needs are greatest. ... view
• 18 Apr 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, hon. Chachu Ganya, MP for North Horr, decried the facilities or lack of facilities in North Horr Constituency. I agree with him. I have been with him a number of times to that constituency. I ordered the creation of a second district because of the size. North Horr Constituency is 38000 square kilometres. In other words, it is one and half times the size of the Republic of Rwanda. So, geography is a serious challenge. One other factor is that the population is fairly sparse. They live in a hamlets dispersed by long distances. view