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Leaders from left, Uasin Gishu County Governor Jonathan Bii, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, Chief Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Health CS Susan Nakhumicha after attending World TB Day celebrations at Huruma grounds in Eldoret where Mudavadi was the chief guest. March 24, 2023. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has asked health professionals to prescribe medicine in either in Swahili or the mother tongue to enhance treatment.
Speaking during the commemoration of World Tuberculosis (TB) Day in Uasin Gishu, Mudavadi said most patients do not understand what they are expected to do because prescriptions are mostly made in English.
"Our constitution recognizes two official languages English and Kiswahili, and recently, the government made a very fond decision that should mainstream Kiswahili into all our processes," Musalia has said.
He added, "Medical field is particularly essential so that we can communicate with other people if we want to achieve universal health care."
He said in parliament, for instance, there already standing orders that have been translated into Kiswahili.
The CS regretted that in most hospitals including villages, prescriptions are issued in English.
"I was just pointing out that when we go to most medical facilities, including into the deep villages in our communities, that prescription is still given out in English. The fastest road to curing people is to communicate fast. We can only attain proper medication if people understand what they are expected to do," he said.
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He added, "We are saying that with a passion that we have, we should now also have a program where you can support us in these campaigns so that medical procedure prescriptions can go into Swahili and if necessary, can go in our diverse local languages."
To make his message sink in, Mudavadi caused laughter when he spoke in Maragoli, saying "Mira vimira vivaga kavaga kwidiku - take three drugs two times per day."
He also called out Uasin Governor Jonathan Bii, asking him to share the same message in the Kalenjin language.
"If we can actually make communication easy, we shall have people get better treatment'" he observed.
Further, he pleaded with Kenyans to take necessary precautionary measures to prevent Marburg disease from spilling into the country.
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