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Seeking treatment abroad is not normal

3/1/2016

46 Comments

 
PictureSource: LinkedIn
A few days ago, the Standard Newspaper posted what was supposed to be a harmless article about Ruth Odinga, Deputy Governor of Kisumu County, bedridden with a leg fracture in a hospital in London. The article focused on her patriotism to her ODM party, because she requested an orange-colored cast, which was supposed to be a consolation for not being with her family at Christmas. And just to give the story some political flavor, the writer kicked in some lines about her concern that not many women were running for the seat of Governor. That she was a politician, responsible for her county’s healthcare services, getting treatment abroad, was not an issue. That was supposed to be normal.

When the article was drawn to my attention, I was livid. Healthcare and education have been pet topics of mine, because I consider a country’s measure of freedom, democracy and equality to be its schools and hospitals, not its polling stations. If we really want to know whether we and Kenyatta, Odinga or whomever, “tuko pamoja,” we need to ask whether we’re getting treated in the same hospitals and whether our kids are going to the same schools; not whether we’re both drinking sodas at kiosks or wearing rugby shirts. 

I was angry, not that Ruth Odinga was being treated for a fracture – yes, a fracture – abroad, but that she was a public officer, paid by taxpayers, to fix county healthcare. How can a politician fix healthcare, or even see the need to fix it, if she doesn’t have to use it? And I was angry that the Standard – which sometimes joins the press bandwagon of owning the title of “people’s watchdog” – did not detect the irony. 

But then again, the press has been at the forefront of normalizing the idea of Kenyans seeking treatment abroad, to the discomfort of many. 

In 2011, Citizen TV ran a report on Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, then Medical Services Minister, receiving cancer treatment in the US. Johnstone Mwakazi was so enamored by Nyong’o’s heroic triumph against cancer, that he let the irony of the health minister seeking treatment abroad slide. A few months later, Beth Mugo, then Public Health Minister, also returned from the US, inviting Kenyans to rejoice about her triumphant battle against cancer, without telling us what is supposed to happen to the rest of Kenyans diagnosed daily with cancer. The blindness of the press to the fact that it was portraying two politicians in charge of health getting treated abroad – and celebrating it in public! – as heroes, made me so flabbergasted. In June 2011, I presented a conference paper saying that the Kenyan press treats cancer like a personal battle, not a disease that can be socially managed through providing personnel and resources for early diagnosis and treatment.

Then came Jadudi and Janet Kanini-Ikua in 2015. While their need was urgent and Kenyans did the heroic thing to support their treatment in India, once again, the press turned their stories into opportunities to celebrate celebrity and the power of social media. They didn’t ask the hard questions about how often Kenyans could dig into their pockets to raise funds for the next, and the next, and the next cancer victim to seek treatment abroad. And the bad thing about this conversation is that it sometimes makes the person raising the issue look callous and inconsiderate of the individual cancer patients. The witty Pharis Kimaru decided to have a go at it anyway, and the article “Why I don’t stand with Janet,” received mixed reactions.

So when it comes to the mainstream media, there has been a pattern of missing the point and not asking the hard questions about healthcare. But with Pharis’s article, I thought that the majority of the reasonably educated members of Kenya’s social media fraternity would get my beef with Ruth Odinga and the article on her.

Turns out I was dreaming.

What shocks me is not that people disagreed with me, but that they didn’t get my point, and worse, that they defended the Kisumu Deputy Governor’s treatment abroad. Some said it’s her money, she can do with it what she likes. It didn’t occur to them that she’s paid with our taxes, and that the Standard newspaper had not asked who was footing the bill, for us to confidently say that she could do what she wants with her money. 

Others said that she probably couldn’t get specialized treatment here, so she had to go abroad, not seeing the irony that it is the responsibility of her, and the rest of the people whom we spend billions of shillings electing, to make sure that the specialized treatment is available in Kenya. 

Others did the usual Kenyan thing of asking why I’m raising the issue now, and not when others like Janet and Jadudi did. There was no point telling them that several Kenyans have been raising this issue for years. 

Others said that many politicians seek treatment abroad, so Ruth Odinga is not the only one. But her brother Raila Odinga got head surgery at Nairobi Hospital when he was prime minister. Well, it wasn't a public hospital, but at least it was on home turf and with a Kenyan surgeon. 

Others...this one wowed me. Some said the problem is with the central government not the county government, as if the two governments are paid by separately different tax payers. 

I was so baffled that Kenyans who probably would not have the resources to seek treatment abroad, nor the clout to raise the money in one day through social media, were defending a public officer’s right to avoid the hospitals she’s mandated to support. I asked myself – why defend someone who evidently doesn’t care about you enough to fix your hospitals? The obvious reason is that most Kenyans probably feel that there is no other way out – one must either be rich or die if one gets sick and is poor. And the same politician avoiding your hospital will dance on a dais at your funeral, interrupting the process of your family trying to mourn after you die from not getting emergency or basic services in time.

How can a proud people like us be so complacent in this one thing that matters most to life?

I soon realized that all these responses are united by one major theme: the belief that politicians owe us nothing, that they seek treatment abroad because they deserve to. So if our health services are a mess, politicians and the rich deserve to go to hospitals abroad. If we had the money we’d do the same, but if we don’t have the money, the problem is with us for being poor.

God. This is so painful.

Over 50 years after independence, some of us Kenyans, and the press as well, find traveling abroad for treatment normal. Then why on earth did we become independent if we cannot take care of our own health? When we raised that flag at Uhuru gardens on December 12 1963, it wasn’t just for the right to choose our own leaders with black skin. It was also to take care of our health, our education, our public transport and other social services. Freedom means responsibility. We can’t credibly be considered independent if we cannot treat our sick.

That is why we, the Kenyan people, must demand public services that our politicians can use. We should demand that every politician and family seeks treatment in this country, and takes their kids to schools taught by teachers paid by TSC. If they prefer private social services, they should not run for public office. 

Only when the rich and famous get treated here, will we know we are independent. We will know that Kenyatta is truly a national Hospital when it is good enough for the family whose name it carries to be treated in it, not when the family gives their kid one million shillings to go pay hospital bills at Christmas. If getting treated there is not an option, then let’s get a president who can agree to be treated in the country he governs and rename the hospital after him. Or her. If we don’t have specialists to treat a broken leg or to put a cast with orange plaster, we should import them to Kenyatta Hospital or better still, to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, so that all those boda boda accident victims can also get treated and put orange casts while the Deputy governor is getting hers, and some medic interns can learn some skills in the process.

I’m told that when public officers in Singapore were required by law to attend public hospitals, the services drastically improved. So this, this, justifying politicians seeking treatment abroad, is unacceptable. It’s our birthright to get top notch healthcare in the country, and the first step towards that goal is in we Kenyans believing it. We should not accept as normal, for any nation that calls itself independent, to be governed by leaders who seek treatment in hospitals outside its own borders.

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PS. After writing this article, I saw that Ciku Muiruri did post an article that pointed out the problems in the original one published in the Standard.
46 Comments
ciku
3/1/2016 10:23:08 am

Thanks Wandia! Thought I was the only one who saw the irony.

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Wandia
5/1/2016 08:46:46 am

Your tweet gave me courage to post this because it assured me that I wasn't crazy.

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Ekuru Aukot link
29/4/2016 10:04:09 am

I love this piece. It is shameful what our leadership continues to do. I doubt they believe in country and institutions within it like hospitals. No wonder they ruin them or rather use them as cash cows. This has to be stopped by us; no one will do it for us. I cry for Kenya and for those who can't afford a hospital bed in London.

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John Kipp link
21/12/2016 08:01:38 am

I totally love this too. Thank you Joy.

Martin Muia
3/1/2016 03:09:56 pm

Well thought article. Fully agree, the government should only cover our leaders for treatment in local hospitals. The government should also ensure that Public facilities and specifically public primary schools offer quality education and teachers receive the requisite continuous improvement training.

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chacha kairu link
3/1/2016 06:57:11 pm

I'm of the opinion that the greatest disaster that this country and indeed Africa at large is lack of critical thinking and royalist journalist. 4th estate has greatly failed this country by falling captive to politicians and throwing their sound reason if they have any out through the window. Until we have mainstream media serious activist journalist asking questions as such depicted in the article without fear of contraction then and only then will the policy makers (read politician :)sad I know ) will be in a position to appreciate the seriousness of the situation.

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kigego link
3/1/2016 10:57:39 pm

Yet we have orthopedic surgeons TARMACING here in Kenya! Counties consider them too expensive to hire for the taxpayer, they settle for general surgeons instead. Why not u ask...no problem...next time your car breaks down get the local mason to deal with it;he's good with tools right?

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Wandia
5/1/2016 08:44:57 am

I also suspected that healthcare in the counties is suffering because politicians fear having highly educated people among the villagers, and governors want to be the most educated people in town. But that says a lot about how we still don't see education as a means to uplifting and serving society. We see it instead as a tool of dishing out prestige.

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cory87 link
13/1/2016 09:32:51 am

My friend, a doctor told that he could no longer work a public hospital. He had given it his best for some time. This doctor is among the few I know who would gladly work for peanuts because he loves this country. The devolution of healthcare broke his back. He worked for months without getting a dime. I think politicians and Kenyans don't care about health care because we have privatized suffering. If you have a problem, all I want to read about is your triumph over it. Few will show genuine concern. A few will contribute if you ever need the money. Friends will dwindle. Relatives will hide behind ' I am busy.' We have created a culture in which we all bear the brunt of private loneliness but smile for the cameras because we have made it.

Shaira Adamali link
5/1/2016 11:17:38 am

Wandia, This is such a well written article and on a subject that is really close to my heart. If you throw into the equation the fact that many referring doctors from Kenya get some kind of incentive for sending patients abroad the situation is even worse. I would love to meet you and to tell you about what we do at Faraja. Please email me and we can try and see if it might be possible to meet.

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Tim
6/1/2016 11:03:05 am

You know, there was a time parliament passed a bill about cancer treatment. Then I thought, what kind of bullshit is this ? Instead of equipping hospitals, we are seeking puppet legislations, yet people are dying

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DAVID MAKUMI
7/1/2016 05:58:21 pm

Excellent, well thought out on topic close to my heart and the hearts of many cancer survivors and advocates. The thriving medical tourism business is driven purely by commercial interests and not necessarily medical needs. And towards the end of last year NHIF joined the bandwagon of glorifying treatments abroad at the expense of investing in our healthcare system.

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Wandia
10/2/2016 06:03:03 pm

All these comments are so good, and moving. Thank you. I feel really bad that our leaders don't care about Kenyans dying from preventable illnesses, but worse that many of our people see no problem with it.

I feel for the doctor that Cory87 talks about, and I think that story explains the cynicism that makes doctors just accept commissions. Dear God, help us Kenyans value our own lives. No one can do it for us.

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Ruboneka Kirenga
22/2/2016 08:08:47 am


Seeking treatment abroad is sick!

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Nasio
27/4/2016 08:19:01 am

This! This ! This! I have been saying it for years and was told I was being foolish! I live in the US where hospitals are like water and emergency services are available for all regardless of deposit..... How long will Kenyans sell themselves short? ( I recently became a US citizen because I can't take the nonsense that my homeland is doing)

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Roseline
27/4/2016 08:49:15 am

I think the problem with our leaders is no one loves this country enough to do everything in their powers to make it great. If I were a leader I would want to change my country, I would want to leave a legacy behind for the things I have done, I would want to go to those public hospitals so the administration get qualified doctors If our leaders can't stand to get treatment in the same hospitals we pay billions for, why do they fight so hard to build them? Why do we have hospitals in the first place? What the heck are they doing?
Public hospitals are filled with idiots who didn't even pass their chemistry exams. Let alone gone to a medical school. They misdiagnose people who end up dying. It happens everyday and before we know it it's too late and they are dead. Why do they do this? Because the government don't give a shit, they don't offer support mostly they take it away to go to foreign countries to learn about cooking rice (when was the last time those idiots cooked for themselves?) I love my country, but most of the time we are lost. If our one president can't choose an important project to focus on who will? I usually pray please God protect my kids from illness, (major ones) because if they do, with the little cover I have, I have to take them to those hospitals where even the nurse don't have the experience of do finding out what's wrong with you instead they will give you drugs for ailment you don't have which might end up killing you because you aren't treating what needed to be treated. I pray so hard because I know I can't afford to take my kids abroad and so far God has been with me in this. It's pathetic that leaders come in and out and the next one is even worse than the previous one.
It's pathetic that no one wants to leave a legacy for making their country great and preventing unnecessary deaths.

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fred
27/4/2016 12:04:30 pm

Thats why people should stop calling other communities as uncut/kihii and start thinking with their brains.

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Wandia Njoya
28/4/2016 07:26:00 am

Thank you Roseline for your comment. The prayer you make, many of us make it every day. But we Kenyans need to be angry enough to tell politicians that this madharau of going abroad for treatment, and then coming to show off to us in their helicopters, is no longer acceptable. We're not angry enough. And partly because the media gets so mesmerized by abroad that they forget to ask about what's happening here.

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Harrie
21/12/2016 06:28:17 am

We are motivated just angry enough to make solid decisions about this our land that is extremely rich yet too poor.we are not angry enough . Thanks wandia

Vitalis
27/4/2016 09:32:49 am

@WANDIA
Apart from wishfull prayers, I suggest you call for like minded people meeting, chair it top agenda being awareness creation to avert this 'Norm Mentality' & how to get to target audience.

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Charles
27/4/2016 08:15:44 pm

Sure,awareness will come hardy to liberty this country

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Evans Oyugi
21/12/2016 05:19:10 pm

I was just about to suggest...like minds...esp during this election period the media house should have a forum just for citizens with or without expert analysis and encourage them to discuss them to ask how leaders this tough questions before we can vote for them.

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Mutinku
27/4/2016 12:42:03 pm

Of Kenyans and our little expectations, very good piece.

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Joe M.
27/4/2016 01:09:48 pm

Lovely article Ms. Wandia.
Comfort breeds complacency. The fact that most Kenyans are comfortable with the current situation and ignore these things because they haven't yet affected them is sad. Such activism is needed and the taxpayer needs to demand for results. We've seen hospitals in the news which are in deplorable states but what really happens after such stories are aired? The question we should be asking ourselves is if these people really care..the politicians that is..who walk proudly among us only thinking of and talking of the next election.. It's annoying and disgusting!

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Leah Murimi
27/4/2016 01:46:46 pm

I have had opportunity to visit some of the public hospitals. With the little resources they had tried to maintain some level of cleanliness but its still a sorry state. Hope your article will wake the cabinet secretary from the deep slumber. They should put more money in the health ministry and not NYS.

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Olive
27/4/2016 04:29:07 pm

For change to happen, it only takes 1 PERSON. With that said, we know the plight, we know the unfairness and we definitely know the injustice. Question is, What will I do about it? What will you do about it?

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Mary W. Nyauma
27/4/2016 11:35:09 pm

Wandia,

While I agree with your sentiments- generally- yours is also a symptom of the general problem. The Kenyan healthcare system is wanting, but the problem cannot be fixed as easily as having a policy requiring all public servants to seek health services in the public sector.
I, like Nyong'o and Beth, am a cancer survivor- but they actually have the "good" cancers- prostate and cervical cancers are well studied and easily managed. I, on the other hand, got all ambitious and got TWO types of liver cancer. The bottom line is that in 2014 I had to go to India for surgery. Not because I am a public officer with lots of taxpayers money to sponge on, but because 1) there was, and still is, NO qualified SURGEON or equipped HOSPITAL to handle the kind of surgery that I required. Look it up- Whipple's procedure. NO SURGEON in Kenya can do that. The best they can do is roux n y , and even then it is greatly modified so patients with liver cancer actually live with the prognosis I was given in December 2013 of 1-3 months to live.
Now, don't take me wrong, but EVERY THING in our health system needs fixing. From basic training to Specialized care... to equipment. Look, Wandia, while Kenyans are silent, all county governments are investing millions in Ambulances, to ferry sick patients to some mythical referral hospital somewhere... usually Kenyatta. Think about it. Hundreds of millions of shillings in purchasing vehicles, tens of millions of shillings to maintain and run the ambulances annually, so that Kenyans can be delivered to Kenyatta National Hospital to queue for the fewer than 50 ICU beds, and if they are kept wiating for hours for a bed to open up (read = for the patient on it to die, usually) we scream bloody murder.
But, any ICU doctor will tell you, it only costs 4 million shillings to fully equip an ICU bed, and most counties need fewer than 10 ICU beds at any given time and fewer than 30 HDU beds. Imagine that. For the price of useless ambulances, governors could have equipped every county with enough ICU and HDU units to serve the population there. And, ICU training is being offered for FREE to any county government that is in need.
If you are truly interested in health matters, Wandia, get truly interested. Get informed. The Health Bill has gone through 3 readings in the National Assembly- with resounding silence from Kenyans. It is a true disaster. It is currently in the Senate where I expect it will pass with minimal amendments and when we begin feeling the pain during its implementation we will write more articles in angst.
Seeking treatment abroad. Anyone with any chance of saving the life of a loved one will try anything. I know millions of Kenyans are dying, not because they are ill, but because they are poor. True. But it is not possible to expect the patients, or their families, to consider making a social or political statement when considering the care of a loved one. That is quite simply unfair.
I remember once your father injured his hand in a demonstration. I remember feeling quite happy that he had been able to get treatment- was it in Canada- and to get away for a while. I remember thinking that, all things considered, I wouldn't have wanted him in a Kenyan hospital- for security reasons. Have you ever heard the rumors about the genesis of Matiba's health woes? Or, of the mysterious deaths of patients under a particular Israeli doctor in a private hospital? As long as such things happen, our politicians will receive their treatment outside the country.
Is it right? It is fair?
Let me bounce this question back to you. Do you know what a good healthcare system requires? Do you know what expertise- besides doctors, nurses, pharmacists- is necessary to run a quality health care system? Does Kenya have enough?

Chances are, Ruth Odinga, in the UK was being taken care of by a nurse from a country other than the UK, possibly even a Kenyan. At the root of our healthcare problems is also our employment regime- poor remuneration, lack of motivation, oppression... anyway. Let me stop ranting.

In India I was taken care of by an ONCO-SURGEON with 25+ years of experience in onco-surgery. He dealt with me from day 1, admitted me and saw me EVERY single day FOR THE ENTIRE 45 DAYS that I was admitted under his care. Throughout that time he was on call, and in an emergency he was available within 15 minutes (that's how far his home is). Any THING related to my care was passed through him, even though I had over 15 different qualified specialists taking care of me. He took time to EXPLAIN to my husband what course of treatment was available, what option he took and why. He sought INFORMED consent from my husband. we were given OUR ENTIRE file, with details of every single thing that had been done, every single test.

In contrast, before going to India I had had an attempted cholecystectomy at the St Mary's Hospital, Lang'ata. I was admitted in the hospital for 25 days. In that time I only saw my surge

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Edith
21/12/2016 09:57:50 am

Very much agree with your thoughts on the subject, but Wandia is spot on as well. Someone has to bring Kenyans into AWARENESS. Yes, it will take a while but Wandia's article emphasises the need to start ASAP and take drastic measures in order for change to be seen, the article provokes thought to the common mwananchi, and our journalists/ reporters who didn't see the irony in these incidences. That's the only way significant change will be attained in health sector. Kenyans are generally angry but towards each other/tribes, but Wandia emphasises the need to be angry for the right reasons, and towards the leaders. We need to be angry, awake, and learn to question things no matter how uncomfortable.

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Joseph
29/12/2016 05:15:57 am

I have a relative getting treatment in India right now, the quality of medication is astounding. He tells me that doctors come as a team to treat him. And mind you, we ain't rich, we had to raise those funds in one way or the other. So i also agree with what Wandia says, but it's not easy.

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Protus Otundo
28/4/2016 06:49:12 am

Good insight there, once we as Kenyans will stop voting on tribal lines and focus on partinent issue, we will not get courage to ask such questions.

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Kibera
28/4/2016 07:32:30 am

Interesting discussion. Wandia I am with you on many points.

The issues in the healthcare sector are multifaceted. They are complex - we have aging hospitals, many structurally unable to handle the populations they serve, the referral systems are broken, there are 5 cadres of nurses and 3 types of clinicians with different levels of training each of which are called doctors by the public), the chronic collapse of the public health care system has lead to the growth of a thriving, poorly regulated private healthcare system whose prices are out of control and finally healthcare policy decisions rest with politicians not doctors.

I am saddened when people talk of how poorly trained Kenyan doctors are based on one case here and another case there. Medical mistakes occur EVERYWHERE. Just google and get informed. 100,000 people were estimated to die every year in the US from medical mistakes. Sound plausible? This is from their own data and admission of the American college of Health. While most advances in medicine have come from the West, they are by no means perfect. The laziness of the public to read and research on this compounded by the failure of the 4th estate to deeply research and report the real issues in health show where healthcare lies in importance.

Wandia, why are there no dedicated medical journalists? Is it true that a journalist reporting on health matters is paid a fraction of what a political reporter gets? When will we ever hear the real stories about the issues in health and what really happens to Kenyans when they go to India?

So why is health not a priority? I think it is because the vast majority of consumers are women, children and the elderly. If men in their 30s - 50s used healthcare services more then maybe it would be a political issue. But your local politician knows a typical Kenyan cares more about the price of unga and tribe of the guy serving him at the county hospital than about the number of ICU beds or the level of training the clinical officer has. They know we don't care so they don't care. Its not a voting issue. Maybe when our population is older and the numbers of voting Kenyans in their 50' is a sizable voting block then perhaps then the state of public healthcare institutions will be a voting issue.

But until then, our hopes lie with the media. Lets keep this alive.

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Wandia
28/4/2016 07:40:03 am

I’m sorry, Mary Nyauma, but this really isn’t about you. If you are bothered by my argument that public officers should seek treatment here or get another job, that’s good. It’s supposed to bother you and every person whose salary is paid by taxpayers. If you and all the other public servants know what’s wrong with our healthcare system, maybe citizens demanding that you get treatment here will make you put more effort into fixing it, instead of wasting public resources on State House delegations, corruption and God knows what else. If politicians knew that we citizens would not take it kindly when they sought treatment abroad – instead of now when we’re getting impressed, they would provide the training and equipment required to treat diseases here.

You're talking about specialists as if they come from heaven, and India is blessed to have them. No. Resources come from planning. We should INVEST in medical training. The First Lady should run for oncology scholarships, not for mobile clinics for services that the Jubilee government had said would be free.

But that's the thing - Kenyan politicians invest in equipment and buildings, not in people. No wonder, as you will see in the other comments to this post, counties are refusing to hire medics and specialists. Ati because they're too expensive. In other words, the people of Kenya don’t deserve well paid medics. But they deserve well paid noise makers in legislature and in commissions? Give us a break.

And the cases I’ve cited – Nyong’o, Mugo and Odinga – were all cases that could have been treated here. I’m a cancer survivor too. So I know something about treatment. But my experience teaches me that if I was not educated enough to get early diagnosis, to read medical journals and ask the right questions, if I was not employed and had medical insurance, I don’t know where I’d be today. And what haunts me is that because most Kenyans do not have the resources I had, they are vulnerable to mis-diagnosis and mis-treatment. Many Kenyans don’t know any better, and the politicians who can do something about it are running away from the problem.

Seeking treatment abroad may be lifesaving. Life is life, and human beings are obliged to do whatever they can to save it, even if it means going abroad. BUT WE MUST NEVER EVER ACCEPT THAT THAT SEEKING TREATMENT ABROAD IS NORMAL. Accepting it as normal means we’ve failed as an independent nation. It means that we Africans are not human enough to take care of ourselves. It means we Kenyans won’t use our intellect and resources to solve a social problem.

All the nationalists who fought for independence refused to accept this complacency as normal. And so do I.

What I'm talking about here is not the details of what treatment is available in. It's about a basic philosophical problem: we Africans don't believe we are human enough to take care of ourselves, or to plan our own lives. If we did, our public officers would do a better job of making our public health services work.

http://www.wandianjoya.com/blog/ebola-thoughts-on-education-theology-and-health

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Monics
29/4/2016 02:15:49 am

The irony.
The politicians (read big fish) calls onto the common mwananchi (read fingerlings) to go on a protest coz they want the IEBC nullified. As the air is filled with tear gas I see these big fish being led into their laxurious cars which are packed in a standby mode and I can't help myself but laugh so loudly at the fingerlings as they swim and crush in the polluted air with tears on their eyes!!!!!ha ha ha.

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Mahamoud Haji
30/4/2016 08:36:46 am

I like the comment that we don't love our country enough. The irony of the health care is much deeper. I am sure this question may have been asked before: how many governors live (not just own) in their respective counties and not in the cities? Shouldn't there have been a clause in our constitution requiring that governors should be residing in their counties at least 75 percent of the time to ensure good Service delivery?

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Wandia
30/4/2016 11:56:15 am

You're so right, Mahamoud Haji. This article is part pf that larger question of why one should serve an area in which he does not live, where he doesn't get treated or where his kids are not going to school.

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Maina G
13/9/2016 11:09:30 pm

Wandia,first off,great article. Problem with Kenyans- many of them are not taught to be critical thinkers.They also think in segments...one argument is not related to another and therefore the whole picture isn't seen in their mind. It is sad ,but that's the reality.Until we are able to change our education system to teach people how to think,we will have graduates who can not create anything,and whose lives are ran by a crop of political elite who do not care....and if graduates can not have logical arguments leading to logical conclusion,how about the mama Mbogo and the rest of the citizens? The quick fix is radical leadership that is benevolent,that will give Kenyans a crash course on how to think logically.

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Willis
21/12/2016 05:34:25 am

You raised a very important issue and congratulations for unearthing such an issue. However, what you're talking about is not new in this country because leaders have been doing since time immemorial. But what is the main cause of all these? Me think it's corruption and tribalism. We simply refuse to elect good leaders having the desire to change the society but instead we emphasize on tribes. Even when leaders are wrong and our money is squandered, the public who are the major clients to KNH are the first to defend thier person. The question is, when will we learn from our mistakes and do things differently?

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Azinga Ford
21/12/2016 08:15:37 am

In as much I appreciate the expression of this very deep seated problem in our country and most African Nations , I am sorry to say this is the way it is because we have alllowed it. We have alllowed ourselves to be fed on 54 bags of salt for 54 years . If I may ask ?? Where do these defunct leaders come from ?? Of course from amongst ourselves, we are the ones who have elected them into office and given them the opportunity to advance there defunct ideas under our watch. When did we stand and put up a divided front in saying no to this madness?? The other day I saw the face of the Kenya h have always envisioned of a people having the capacity to indignantly stand and say enough if this shit. The pilots at Kenya airways stood up , downed there tools and said ,we cannot fly this birds to different destinations while staying away from our beloved families only for the top management to eat all that we bring in. They gave there ultimatum in regards to the change they wanted . There united voice and stand saw the board reconstituted and some heads had to roll : Emancipation from madness begins at the place of you hating The madness. Let the suffering continue until the day we will decide enough of this shit. My grandfather used to tell me "dawa ya mjinga ni taabu, I never used to understand but now I do.

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Nthenya Kipkosgei
21/12/2016 09:14:37 am

Great article Wandia. I gave birth in 2012 at KNH and what my husband and I experienced there was pure hell on earth. It was pain That I would never want any woman to go through. I saw babies die women giving birth on their own. Women died... No one cares there. There is no motivation for the midwives to work. The health care system is just a total mess. I am lucky today to be insured at least to go to the private sector hospital. But still so much needs to be done For our national hospital because some cases from this private hospital are taken to the National hospital. I hear you sister. Petitions needs to be signed. We have to speak up. I and my son are here by the GRACE OF GOD. I saw death with my own two eyes.
Thank you for this article. Am sharing it widely.

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Martin
21/12/2016 10:37:00 am

Very good post Wandia. Sober, articulate and issue oriented. I love the discussions, arguments for and against but most of all the tone and civility. Where can these Kenyan on this discussion thread to be found because most of what I read, see and hear is pretty disconcerting. Now if this was the approach that our elected leaders followed in what they discuss and how they discuss issues facing the electorate...........And if only the electorate could see through the smoke screens thrown their way every 5 years........

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Opuk Pekne Otenga link
21/12/2016 11:42:22 am

I believe we still have in Kenya well meaning people who are for good working and functioning institutions. The problem is electing in politicians who influence others with handouts - (we see this in defections from one party to another) and are not inspirational in their thinking, lacking in creativity and vision. We really need leaders who can inspire other leaders to do good for the country and create and embrace functioning systems.
It's very disheartening to see a majority of leaders bought and being bought to tarnish other leaders names, this being the criterion used for loyalty to the top leaders.
We are being our own worst enemies by clinging onto non-visionary leaders, hiding behind our tribal cocoons.

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Freda
21/12/2016 01:18:32 pm

Wandia what a brilliant article. The responses are what tell you what is ailing our country. We the electorate. Imagine, if Ruth Odinga did that interview from a doctor less KNH she would have no respect. A leader with no money to get themselves to a decent hospital abroad is not worthy of our respect much less our votes. Take for example the women's rep vilified for contributing 2K at a harambee instead of the 200k. We don't care where the money comes from. Just make sure you've got it. It's beyond sad. I'm glad you're writing, cause I felt so hopeless about this whole scenario I, like many others, plain gave up. Thanks.

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Caroline
21/12/2016 06:09:06 pm

Wow you spoke my heart and mind,thanks Wandia.

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Maida Nyawade
21/12/2016 07:52:41 pm

Great insight.

Reply
Nyaga
23/12/2016 09:25:35 pm

This is what they don't want you to hear. Pure wisdom!!! Keep it up Wandia.

Reply
Eric
22/2/2017 03:16:57 pm

Well put, if only we had eyes and ears as a people.

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    Wandia Njoya

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