MPs now want modern clinic set up in Parliament

Taxpayers will foot the bill for establishment of an ultra-modern facility with a clinic and gym to protect MPs from contracting Covid-19.

MPs want their employer, the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), to set up the health unit within Parliament.

The MPs say the Parliamentary Health and Wellness Unit should be modeled alongside those of telecommunications giant Safaricom, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC).

Safaricom runs an inhouse staff clinic fully equipped with examination rooms with sufficient privacy equivalent to a private hospital room.

It also boasts of a fully equipped laboratory, pharmacy, specialised clinics to manage dental, optical, ear nose and throat (ENT), as well as reproductive and mental health complete with resident and on-call specialists.

CBK runs a dispensary located within Starehe constituency while KPC has a level 2 medical clinic respectively both regulated by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Union (KPMDU).

“The Parliamentary Service Commission should establish a “Parliamentary Health Unit” within Parliament with a clinical and public health sections and a health club,” the committee on Members Services and Facilities says in a report.

The committee chaired by Ezekiel Machogu said in the meantime, the PSC should urgently refurbish the current health club located at MPs Continental House offices in compliance with the protocols and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health on containment of Covid-19.

The committee said the current health club is in dire need of renovation and refurbishment in light of Covid-19.

The health club has remained closed following a surge in coronavirus pandemic that was reported in Kenya in March 2020.

Under the refurbishment plan, the lawmakers want installation of modern handwashing, sanitisation and foot sanitisation units installed at the health check unit.

The committee is also rooting for internet connectivity at the waiting or reception area and fitting of electronic control doors. At the bathrooms and toilets, the MPs want replacement of gypsum, shower heads and fixing of Muslim-friendly toilets.

They want the current steam baths and saunas replaced with new steam generating units as well as heat generating systems at the three saunas.

REFLEXOLOGY, MASSAGE

Massage rooms, barber and salon areas will also be refurbished to create additional workstations. Air conditioning systems will be replaced with hyper filters while electrical systems and firefighting equipment will also be upgraded.

The MPs want staff deployed to the current health club dealing with massage and reflexology put on a five-year term contract, renewable once upon satisfactory performance.

The committee has recommended that youthful staffers be hired as masseurs and reflexologists.