Today, our newsroom received a complaint that a mother and child were turned away earlier this week from receiving medical attention at the Belize Medical Associates clinic on Regent Street. The Port Loyola resident had gone to the N.H.I. facility for medical help because the Port Loyola Health Center is closed for repairs. However, the downtown clinic was reportedly overcrowded, and they were denied assistance. News Five reached out to B.M.A., National Health Insurance, and the Ministry of Health and Wellness for a response and clarity on the matter. Both N.H.I. and Medical Associates explained that in emergency situations, no health facility would deny treatment. However, for other services, there are specific facilities that people need to go to. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
A complaint by a mother of a young child that her baby was denied medical treatment at a privately-run facility that offers N.H.I services has been flatly denied by facility and N.H.I. The report is that the mother was turned away amidst a crowd that was waiting to see a doctor. The mother, a resident of Port Loyola, had gone to the downtown facility because the Port Loyola Clinic had been temporarily closed for repairs. But both the privately-run clinic and N.H.I have said that their investigation of the incident has revealed something different. Dr. Victor Rosado is the chairman of the Belize Medical Associates’ Board of Directors.
On the Phone: Dr. Victor Rosado, Chairman, B.M.A Board
“This was a woman who – a patient from Port Loyola Health Center, who called us to see if we can read her results at BMS outside NHI clinic, and I think you have knowledge of how the NHI clinics work. You need to be registered with that clinic, and so my manager has told you that that patient was told she should go to more than likely Matron Roberts because the ministry had closed down the Port Loyola clinic. If you’re not registered and you go in with results from another clinic, because everything is computerized, it will be very difficult for them to give you proper service. These patients need to be seen within the public system if they are not registered under NHI. If they are registered under NHI, then they need to go to their NHI clinic.”
We reached out to Dr. Ramon Figueroa, the general manager for National Health Insurance. He explained further how the N.H.I. system operates.
On the Phone: Dr. Ramon Figueroa, General Manager, N.H.I
“If you’re registered with Matron Roberts, really, all your information is at Matron Roberts, and you should be seeking attention at Matron Roberts. You can request a transfer to one of the other clinics because that’s the way it functions. We need to have the information on the registered members so that we can track the use of all the referrals for labs, pharmacy, and so on. Port Loyola is a registered provider under Maitland Roberts. So if you are registered at Port Loyola, you’re literally are registered at Maitland Roberts. So your preferred provider is Maitland Roberts. And that should have been explained to them.”
Dr. Rosado emphasized that if it had been an emergency instead of just a lab result request, B.M.A would have had no choice but to step in and help.
On the Phone: Dr. Victor Rosado
“B.M.A would never turn away someone who, like I said, is in an emergency situation. All health facilities, I believe that is in the Hippocratic Oath, that nobody will be turned away in event of an emergency.”
Dr. Melissa Musa, the Director of Public Health and Wellness, told News Five that the Ministry of Health is committed to making sure everyone gets the primary medical care they need, even if they’re not registered with NHI.
Dr Melissa Musa, Director, Public Health & Wellness, MoH
“We’re rolling out the National Health Insurance. And in this rollout, more and more people are able to register for National Health Services. And so what we are saying at this point is that if you are registered at any provider, so there are numerous providers in the Belize district, you should attend to those clinics that you are registered at. If you are in that thirty percent that you’re not registered as a provider, we do have Matron Roberts, and we have Cleopatra White. So Matron Roberts is what we call a dual facility. So we see registered National Health patients registered for that service and we have patients who are not eligible for that service and are seen as well and provided with care, medication, labs, whatever else is needed at Mitron Roberts. Now Cleopatra is solely a government facility. We’re not selling any services through NHI. So, anybody not registered at, at any NHI facility are, they’re free to come to Cleopatra White for care as well.”
Dr. Musa shared that the Port Loyola clinic offers both outpatient and mental health services. She assured that patients needing these treatments will soon have access to them again.
Dr. Melissa Musa
“In the near future, we will more than likely. We have a team with the Welcome Resource Center, which is run by the Mental Health Association, we’ve met with them. They have a building on the end of Vernon Street, a very nice building and we’re able to put our resources together and provide even better care for the community who suffers with mental illness.”
Dr. Musa mentioned that contractors are currently evaluating if the Port Loyola Health Center can be repaired or if they’ll need to construct a brand-new facility. Marion Ali for News Five.
