MPs Approve Bill Regulating Treatment of Kenyan Patients Abroad
Members of Parliament (MPs) have passed a Bill regulating the treatment of Kenyans out of the country.
The Health (Amendment) Bill of 2020, which was sponsored by Kesses MP Swarup Mishra, was approved by the National Assembly on Tuesday. It seeks to streamline the mechanisms for the referral of patients to health institutions outside the country.
The Bill bars Kenyan health facilities from referring patients abroad before exhausting local hospitals for medical attention.
It proposes that patients can only be referred for treatment abroad if there is sufficient evidence that local hospitals lack the capacity to handle their ailments.
The proposed law requires the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Health to formulate policy guidelines on the mechanisms for referrals of patients to hospitals abroad.
Under the proposed law, those seeking to travel abroad for medical treatment must seek approval from the Health Ministry.
At least 10,000 Kenyans travel overseas annually in pursuit of specialized medical care, spending at least Sh15 billion in the process, according to data by the Health Ministry.
India, South Africa, the UK, and the US are the most preferred destinations for Kenyans seeking treatment.
Oncology, cardiac surgery, advanced neuro-spine surgery, transplant surgery, and assisted reproductive technology are the most sought medical services by Kenyans traveling abroad.
Medical agents have been accused of taking advantage of desperate patients, who in some instances are asked to part with a referral fee of up to Sh400,000. Others have been accused of persuading Kenyans to seek treatment abroad even when treatment is available locally.
Comments
will politicians be exempted…
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will politicians be exempted? was this hurried to stop sonko?
Kenya has only thieves and…
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In reply to will politicians be exempted… by Loise (not verified)
Kenya has only thieves and murderers instead of leaders.NOT POLITICIANS
..shall we be preaching…
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..shall we be preaching water and taking wine?
Rather, will all animals be equal in this animal farm of ours?
People from other African…
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People from other African countries come to Kenya for treatment while Kenyans go to India and majuu for treatment.
Is that law for all Kenyans…
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Is that law for all Kenyans or elite Kenyan thugs have impunity over the law?I can remember two majambazi ministers of health traveling to a Los Angeles Hosiptal for cancer treatment.There was jambazi Isaac Rutto chartering a plane to fly him to SA after breaking his finger.Even muchawi Raila also chartered another one to the same SA after diarrhea after eating some decayed human pancreas at a burial ceremony in Nyeri.I remember thug Uhuru chartering a luxury plane @1.3m per hour to pick the savage from Dubai where he had gone for medical check late last year.All these useless trips were financed by hungry billionaire Kenyans.Swali-Why can’t Uhuru apgrade the Hosiptals instead of useless BBI?
Mghenji wedi, aisee uko na…
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In reply to Is that law for all Kenyans… by Morris Menye (not verified)
Mghenji wedi, aisee uko na chuki vaishu! Loh! Punguza hasira. Dunia duara, sote tutaiwacha.
You're wasting your time on…
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You're wasting your time on this one. Those who can afford health care abroad will bribe their way to get that approval from the ministry of health. For the majority of Kenyans that cannot afford healthcare abroad-yours is exercise in futility. For the ministry of healthy, this is a bonanza-corruption galore. They can't wait to collect bribes for those approvals. I also think parliament should have no business dictating when someone can go abroad to seek help for his ailments. This is a matter of life and death. Government should do its best to catch up with the hospital standards and the level of care that call our sick abroad. My life, my choice, my money! And-go to LINDA KATIBA WEBSITE and register to bring down the evil BBI. Our 2010 constitution is strong, our leaders are lazy and corrupt. We should have our own great health-care by now. but for our inept weak leaders.
Wonders will never cease to…
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Wonders will never cease to happen. There was no other matters of urgency this mpigs could have debated on during the sitting apart from taming wananchi on healthcare matters. Anyways since the laws in Kenya are for wanjiku and not the elite class we need to send all these decisions makers home starting from the top. Wakwende wote kapsa.
You’all got it twisted here!…
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You’all got it twisted here! The law is to bar the monied, mostly politicians from neglecting local facilities while jetting out for treatment usually at the taxpayers expenses approved by their entities. There’ll be no such approvals if such treatments can be done locally.
@Meenza, in a corrupt Kenya,…
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In reply to You’all got it twisted here!… by Meenza (not verified)
@Meenza, in a corrupt Kenya, such approvals will be whisked by the monied class in a heartbeat. Going abroad for treatment by our monied class is more than just good facilities at home, its a state of mind. They deem anything from the whites as superior regardless of evidence in the contrary. And when someone's life is at stake, they will go as far as corruption will take them to get those approvals.
I just hope that some…
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I just hope that some Kenyans will not be more equal than others.....otherwise, this is going to be another rouse
Nonsense! When will the…
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Nonsense! When will the Mpigs focus on legislation that uplift the wellbeing of Kenyans. Kenyans seek treatment abroad because the health care system in the country is rotten, expensive, inadequate and corrupt. Clean it up and no one will seek treatment abroad.
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