UDP Urges GOB to Eliminate COVID Treatment Middle Men
Former CEO of the Ministry of Health Dr. George Gough spoke about the need to get quality treatment for all in COVID case in the public health care system. He said under the former administration certain anti-viral were available in country, but leading up to the November 2020 elections the Ministry did not make any further purchases. He says under the current administration the private sector took over this, as well as the procurement of a second critical treatment known as Monoclonal antibodies. He urged GOB to step in and prevent costs from spiraling out of control.
Dr. George Gough
Dr. George Gough, Former CEO, Ministry of Health
“The private sector started to procure it. So, obviously people in the private sector saw opportunity. The Government stepped back. And, that is one of my criticisms. It never should have stepped back. With the Monoclonal, in the U.S. we use see in Florida they were doing monoclonal treatments for free, especially when they were against the mask. We started to see the Monoclonal get approval and the Monoclonal came to town. But, we could access the Monoclonal at one fifth the cost of what they are presently selling it. So, you could get a monoclonal treatment, a dose, in the U.S for like six hundred U.S., while in Belize it can reach like four or five thousand Belize for one. So and average patient, the Party Leader won’t say it, but an average patient like his mom just with monoclonal and antiviral can run you, when you complete the whole regimented, thirty five, and forty thousand dollars. So, if the public sector doesn’t take command of it, say I am going to buy these anti-viral, I am going to buy these monoclonal, and then the cost is five times as much. That is the call we are making. We are saying hey guys you know what to buy now. We didn’t know then but once you know you know. You know now. Don’t buy it from the middle person. Buy direct, get it at a cost at maybe six thousand dollars per patient. But hell, like what Dr. Gonzalez said, a life is worth six thousand dollars.”
