Thursday, November 03, 2011

Kenya: Medical Ministry Has No Air Ambulance

THE ministry of medical services does not have a single operational air ambulance in the country, parliament heard yesterday. Assistant medical services minister Kambi Kazungu shocked MPs in admitting that the only air ambulance his ministry had was redeployed to the ministry of internal security for use by police because of "logistical problems."

Kazungu informed the house that the helicopter had been donated to the government by the Germany government. He said the helicopter has since been grounded at Wilson Helicopter and Sh20 million has been allocated to "overhaul" it.

MPs led by Naivasha's John Mututho and William Kabogo, the latter who claimed to have experience in aviation industry, insisted on knowing why a serious government with a trillion budget lacked a single air ambulance. "Mr. Speaker, anybody can be injured in this country and require air evacuation, including the speaker himself and God forbid. With a massive trillion budget, how can this government not have a single air ambulance?" Mututho asked.

Kazungu's answer that this was due to budgetary constraints did not satisfy MPs who insisted that the government was discriminating against the poor. The assistant minister had listed the number of air ambulances in the country all which are owned by private individuals.

Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale said there are 37 helicopters in the Kenya Army and demanded that some of the helicopters be converted for civilian use and equipped with ambulance facilities. He said the rich people in the government can afford the private air ambulances but not the poor.

http://allafrica.com

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