Doctor Participants Says Sexual Assault Training was Necessary

Doctor Francis Murray holds a senior role in the Ministry of Health and Wellness. He and two participants from the B.D.F. and the Western Regional Hospital shared how this training has boosted their level of knowledge, and the way they treat with these very sensitive issues going forward.

 

Dr. Francis Murray, Deputy Director, Hospital Services & Allied Health

“I think in 2023, we only had about 34 victims of rape in the country. This data by itself is, might not be alarming to you all, but for us it’s significant.  And when we have this scenario our officers, mostly medical officers who are in the emergency area, are supported by specialists in the field, so many of our officers may not have this experience in dealing with these scenarios, so this might be a first time event for them. And so it’s a sensitization in where we need to go.”

 

Captain Malcolm Griffith, Doctor, B.D.F

“Unfortunately, we have these instances in the force and this training, by all means, ensures that we provide our soldiers with the proper treatment, the proper investigation that is needed and ensures that the management is top-tier and meets international standards. By all means, we must ensure that proper evidence taking, the proper forensics, and conditions are within our perimeters and with the resources that we have available there at the Belize Defense Force.”

 

Dr. Geofrey Segura, Medical Officer, W.R.H

“I was trained in Cuba, so being from a different area, we undergo a medico-gal course, but it’s not as intense, so it doesn’t really qualify you or train you properly in the field of where you’re working to actually properly handle different cases like this. So with this training from a professional, someone that has the experience, giving their first – basically bird’s eye view of our situation, it helps us properly assess a patient that can be considered a victim of sexual assault, or in the case that we were using, a survivor of sexual assault. It helps us in the management, especially if we get called to court, it helps us to properly answer questions that arise when it comes to our initial contact with the survivor of the event or sexual assault. So I feel like it’s something that was very necessary and It improves my quality of care when I’m faced with this type of situation.”