You shouldn't have to choose between filling your prescriptions and paying bills | Kiah Williams

Translator: Hanningtone Omollo

Every day in this country,

Kila uchao hapa nchini,

families are forced to make impossible choices

familia wanalazimika kufanya maamuzi magumu sana

when it comes to their health care.

yanayohusu huduma yao ya afya

Like Kimberly, who said,

Kama Kimberly, aliyesema,

"There was times I had to choose between my food and my pills.

"Kuna wakati nafanya maamuzi kati ya chakula changu na vidonge"

It wasn't luxury stuff, because I didn't make that much.

Haikuwa raha sababu kipato changu ni duni.

It was like, 'Can I get shampoo or conditioner?'

Mfano,"Naweza nunua shampu ama kiyoyozi ?"

Things you take for granted."

Vitu tunachukulia kua ya kawaida"

And Debbie, who said,

Na Debbie,aliyesema,

"You put your medicine in one hand,

"Unaweka dawa kwa mkono mmoja,

your living costs in the other.

na mahitaji ya maisha kwa mwingine.

OK. Well, what am I going to do?

Sawa, ntafanya nini ?

Am I going to get my medicine

Nitanunua dawa

or am I going to pay my bills?

ama kulipa bili zangu?

Well, I can't live without my medicine,

Na siwezi ishi bila dawa zangu,

but I can't live if I don't pay my bills."

na sitaishi bila kulipa bili zangu."

Ten thousand people die every month in this country,

Watu elfu kumi wanafariki kila mwezi hapa nchini,

because they don't take the medicine that they need.

kwa sababu hawatumii dawa inavyostahili,

More people die from not taking medications

Watu wengi hufa kwa kutomeza dawa

than opioid overdoses and car accidents combined.

kuzidi utumizi wa afyuni kupita kiwango na ajali za barabara zikijumuishwa

But you can't take medicine if you can't afford it.

Lakini huwezi meza tembe kama hutamudu gharama yake.

Today, the average household spends 3,000 dollars a year

Leo hii,familia ya kawaida inatumia dola 3000 kila mwaka

on medications.

kwa matibabu.

About a third of folks who are uninsured

Takriban thuluthi moja ya wasio na bima

said that they stopped taking medicine as prescribed

walisema waliacha kutumia dawa walivyoagizwa

because of cost.

kwa ajili ya gharama ya juu

Even folks with insurance,

Hata wenye bima,

if they make under 35,000 dollars a year,

na kipato chini ya dola 35,000 kwa mwaka

half of them report skipping the medications

nusu yao walisema walirukisha kumeza dawa

if their insurance doesn't cover it.

kama bima haitagharamia

So there are 10 million adults like Kimberly and like Debbie

Kunao watu wazima milioni kuni kama Kimberly na Debbie

who are forced to make impossible choices every day.

amabao wanalazimika kufanya maamuzi magumu kilasiku,

We all know that prescription drug prices are too high.

Sote tunafahamu madawa ya kuagizwa ni bei ghali mno.

And our health care system,

Na mfumo wetu wa huduma za afya,

that makes some folks uninsured and other folks underinsured,

inayobagua wengine kutopata bima na wengineo kupata bima ya chini,

doesn't prioritize people who need access now

haipi kipaombele watu wanaohitaji usaidizi kwa sasa

and need medications now.

na matibabu sasa.

Ten million -- it's a big number,

Milioni kumi---- hiyo ni idadi kubwa,

but it's also a solvable number,

lakini ni nambari lina suluhu,

because there's also 10 billion dollars

kwa sababu pia kuna dola bilioni 10

of perfectly good, unused medication

ya madawa mazuri haijatumika

that goes to waste.

yanayoharibika.

So this is an injustice on two sides:

Hii ni udhalimu kwa pande mbili:

people not getting the medicine that they need to survive and to thrive,

watu kutopata madawa wanayohitaji kua hai na kustawi,

and that very same medication being sent to a medical waste incinerator

na ni dawa hivi vinatumwa kasha moto la madawa

to be destroyed.

kuharibiwa.

This waste is unconscionable, but it also offers an opportunity.

Huu uharibifu unapumbaza, lakini pia unatoa fursa.

I started SIRUM,

Nilianzisha SIRUM,

a not-for-profit technology company, with my cofounders Adam and George,

Kiwanda cha teknolojia isio ya faida, na wanzilishi wenza Adam na George,

to turn discarded medications into a lifeline,

kuibadili madawa yanayotupwa kua na manufaa

just like the medications in this warehouse.

kama vile madawa yaliyo kwa hili ghala

We may not be able to fix

Labda hatutaweza rekebisha

all the ways in which our health care system is failing us,

yote yanayotufeli katika mfumu wetu ya huduma za afya

but we can fix this one.

lakini hili tunaweza tengeneza.

Medications come from manufacturers and wholesalers who have safety stock,

Madawa hutoka viwandani na wauzi jumla wanao hifadhi salama

and when it's short-dated, they destroy it.

na wakati wa kuraribika ikiwadia wanatofua

It also comes from health care facilities

Wakati mwingine, hutoka vituo vya afya

like hospitals, pharmacies and nursing homes,

kama hospitali, famasia,na uguzia

who end up with surplus when a patient stops taking medication

wanaobaki na ziada, zisizomezwa

or when they pass away.

au wakati wagonjwa wanapofariki.

We can use this untapped source of medications

Tweza nufuika na haya madawa ziada

to supply all 10 million people who need medications.

kusambazia watu milioni kumi wanaohitaji haya madawa.

And we can do this today.

Na tunaweza fanya hivyo leo.

SIRUM gets surplus medications

SIRUM inapata madawa ziada

by putting recycling bins into these hundreds of facilities

kwa kuweka chombo cha matumizi tena kwa haya majumba

that have surplus.

yenye ziada

They fill the bin, and when the box is full,

Chombo linapojaa

SIRUM initiates a courier pickup to pick up that medication,

SIRUM inatuma gari kuchukua hayo madawa,

and we handle the shipping, the tracking, the manifests and the tax receipt.

tunashughulikia usafirishaji,ufuatiliaji, dhihirisho, na risiti ya kodi.

Medicine donors want to donate because it's actually cheaper and easier

Wafadhili wa madawa wanataka kutoa kwa sababu ni nafuu na rahisi

than the highly regulated medicine destruction process.

kuliko kutofoa madawa yenye kanuni mingi

And there are strong tax incentives to actually donate.

Na pia kunayo motisha kikodi kutoa

We then deliver those donated medications to people who need it.

Baadaye tunafikisha haya madawa kwa watu wazozihitaji.

A new prescription comes in,

Pendekezo mpya inapokuja,

and our platform matches that patient need with the inventory that's available.

jukwaa letu inaambatanisha matakwa ya mgonjwa na dawa ilioko

Our platform then generates a warehouse pick list,

Jukwaa letu basi inatoa orodha ya kuchukua dawa bohari

the medications are picked and the prescriptions filled.

madawa yanachukuliwa na mapendekezo kuandikwa

We are building the 21st-century pharmacy experience

Tunajega duka ya kisasa wenye uzoefu ya karne 21

that low-income families deserve.

Wanayostahili familia wenye mapato madogo

Patients can register in under five minutes

Wagonjwa wanaweza jiandikisha chini ya dakika tano

and have access to over 500 different medications,

na kufikia zaidi ya madawa 500,

a stable list of medications for everything from heart disease

yenye orodha toka afkani

to mental health conditions,

mpaka kichaa

actually representing over 75 percent of all prescriptions prescribed

Kiukweli imewakilisha asilimia 75 ya madawa yanayoagizwa

in the United States today.

Amerika leo.

We also partner with a network of doctors, nurses and case managers

Pia tunashirikiana na mtandao wa madaktari wauguzi na wasimamizi wa kesi

at community health centers and free clinics

katika hospitali na kliniki huru

that refer patients to the service.

wanaopendekeza wagonjwa kwetu

We make it as easy for these health care providers

Tunarahisishia wadumu wa afya kazi

to have a prescription filled with donated medications

kwa kutoa madawa yaliyoagizwa

as it is to send a prescription to a local pharmacy.

kwa vile kuituma kwa famasia ya mtaa

And patients can pick up medications on-site at one of our partners

Na wagojwa kuchukulia kwa moja wa washirika wetu

or have medications delivered directly to their home.

ama kupelekewa madawa nyumbani

By circumventing the traditional supply chain,

Kwa kutofualitia njia ya kawaida

we're able to offer flat, transparent pricing --

tunaweza dai bei sawa na ilio wazi -

about two dollars for a month's supply of most medications.

kama dola mbili kila mwezi kununua takriban madawa zote

And that allows a predictable, affordable price

Hii inadhihirisha bei inayotabirika na nafuu

that folks can actually budget for.

ambayo watu wanaweza bajetia.

We've already supplied enough medication for 150,000 people.

Tumegawa dawa za kutosha kwa takriban watu 150,000

But we can do more.

Lakini tunaweza fanya zaidi.

Our goal is to reach one million people

Lengo letu ni kufikia watu milioni

with approaching a billion dollars of unused medicine

na madawa ya dola takriban bilioni

in the next five years,

kwa miaka tano ijayo,

scaling our program to 12 states.

kupanua miradi yetu hadi majimbo 12

At this scale, we can actually cover communities that are home

Kwa kiwango hii,kufikia jamii ambao ni

to 40 percent of the 10 million people

asilimia 40 kwa hao milioni 10

who lack consistent, affordable access.

waliokosa ufikavu thabiti na nafuu

Our direct service to one million people

Huduma yetu moja kwa moja kwa watu milioni

will drive price competition for so many more.

itashusha bei chini kwa watu wengi

Walmart launched one of the only price innovations in pharmacy

Ni Walmart pekee wamezindua bei ya dawa

in 2006,

mnamo mwaka 2016,

by offering a limited list of medications

kwa kutoa orodha finyu wa madawa

for a flat fee of four dollars.

kwa bei iliyosimama ya dola nne

This sparked incredible change.

Huu ulizindua mabadiliko makubwa,

It sparked competitors to offer other lists

Kupelekea washindani wake kutoa orodha zao

and price match guarantees.

na bei wangeshusha,

By targeting transparent, affordable medications

Kwa malengo ya madawa yenye uwazi na nafuu

into these new states,

kwenye majimbo haya mapya,

we can actually drive regional price competition

tunaweza shawishi bei kwenye maeneo haya

that drives down the prices for entire low-income communities.

kushuka kwa jamii wenye mapato ya chini

Our health care system is complex.

Mfumo wetu wa hali ya afya ni changamani

It is daunting.

Inachosha,

It feels impossible to make headway.

Ni kama hayamkini kupiga hatua.

But we can completely reimagine medicine access.

Tweza badili kufikia dawa.

By using surplus medications as a beachhead to force change

Kwa kutunia madawa ya ziada kama kigezo cha kushinikiza mabadiliko

into this multibillion dollar industry,

katika hii sekta wenye bilioni kadha

we can create radical access to medications

tunaweza pindua ufikaji kwa madwa

based on a fundamental belief

kwa kuegemea msingi thabiti

that people who live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world

kwamba watu waoishi moja ya nchi tajiri duniani

can and should have access to medicine that they need

wanaweza na wanafaa wafikie kila aina ya dawa wanahitaji

to survive and to thrive.

kuishi wa kunawiri

I do not pretend to have all of the answers

Sitadanganya nina suluhu zote

to fix all of the problems in our health care system.

kurekebisha shida ilioko katika mfumo wetu wa afya

But getting medications to the millions of people

Lakini kufikishia mamilioni ya watu dawa

who need it to live a healthy life,

wanayohitaji kuishi kwa afya,

saving medicine to save lives --

kuokoa madawa ili kuokoa maisha -

that is something we can do today.

hio tunaweza fanya leo.

Thank you.

Ahsanteni