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Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka

Senators have raised the red flag over the export, storage and re-use of human biological and medical samples to laboratories abroad disguised as further medical analysis.

Lawmakers allege that some unscrupulous medics are exploiting medical samples extracted from patients under the pretext of taking them for further analysis overseas for trafficking organs.

Led by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, who claimed some private facilities pretend to take samples for further medical analysis to sell some body organs.

“We have hospitals that have been accused before of harvesting body organs for sale in other countries. Some of these body organs are used for fetish reasons or any other ungodly ways,” Cherargei said.

“Why can they not procure machines where blood samples or any other form of sample can be taken, be analysed within the sub-county, county hospital or national hospital and be able to get results as soon as possible? He posed.

Cherargei was reacting to a statement by his Kericho counterpart Aaron Cheruiyot in which he sought to know from the Ministry of Health to disclose whether there is a specimen referral policy with regards to patients’ specimens referred out of the county for medical testing.

Referral policy

In a statement, Cheruiyot also wants to be informed the number of accredited laboratories approved to send samples outside the country, and cases and samples referred per year.

“State the criteria used in the selection of laboratories that are accredited to send these samples abroad,” Cheruiyot statement reads in part.

Cherargei noted that with the advent of technology and use of laboratories, some people might become mischievous and use some of the Deoxyribonucleic Acid samples in an unfortunate way.

He pointed an accusing finger at some private healthcare facilities that have been accused before of harvesting body organs to sell in other countries.

“Some of these body organs are used for fetish reasons or any other ungodly ways. In the process of taking these samples abroad, they might steal some of the body organs,” he said.

Nominated Senator Getrude Musuruve called for capacity building in the area of medical laboratories, just in case the medics are not competent.

“This issue concerns Kenyans because if medical samples are being exported, it means something is not happening right.

Is it that the laboratories are failing us or we do not have the expertise?” she posed

According to the Universal Health Care (UHC), she said, a lot of money ought to be devolved to health.

Capacity building

“If there is any deficiency in the area of medical laboratories, there is need to ensure that more money is taken there for UHC,” she said.

“This will ensure the personnel are treated and given capacity building in this area. It does not sound right for samples to be taken abroad,” she added.