Category: Health

The fate of the University Hospital is still undecided as cabinet deliberates where the building will be constructed. Last year, the Government of Belize signed a forty-five-million-dollar loan to build a hospital that would be operated by the University of Belize. However, the key stakeholders are not in agreement on where it should go. We asked the Minister of Health and Wellness, Kevin Bernard, about the progress of the deliberations. Here is his response.

 

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“As we have right now we had made a decision to revisit the location where we wanted to take the hospital initially. The land that we were air marking when the study was done, when the feasibility was done, they’re suggesting that you know what we needed to be close, one, to the airship because it will have a helipad. You need to be, you need to have access to the airship. If anything, you need to have a closer vicinity to the polyclinic that exists in the development facility area. And at the same time, the road access. We were looking at that. And It was taken to Cabinet. Cabinet said for us to go back to Ministry of Natural Resources, identify the proper adequate land in those areas. So the Ministry have been able to identify the land. So now it’s now where we have written back to the Office of the Prime Minister to say that we have identified these lands and this is where we were recommending. So we are at that stage. When we get that finalized, then you should be able to see the project kicking off hopefully by the end of this year.”

When we caught up with Chandra Cansino, the Chief Executive Officer at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, earlier today, we asked her if B.E.L.’s loadshedding and B.W.S.L.’s water situation have had any negative impacts on the hospital’s services. She says the utility companies prioritize the healthcare facilities, ensuring that they remain with light and water for as long as possible under any circumstance.

 

Chandra Cansino, Chief Executive Officer, KHMHA

“The load shedding minimally, I must say that BEL does treat the hospital with priority. We are usually the last to go off and the first to come back in a countrywide scenario and when we have the shedding it is very infrequent for Karl Heusner. We do have our backup system as well. And so, they communicate with us to ensure we are prepared. So, we are very thankful for that. Regarding the water, we haven’t had any severe impacts. We had low pressure yesterday. But today so far so good so we are keeping our fingers crossed.”

 

Paul Lopez

“I know this is important for you all because of the work you do here.”

 

Chandra Cansino

“Of course, electricity we have our patients in the ICU, on ventilators, both are very important for us so we are grateful that we are prioritized by the utilities and they keep us informed. I think that is the best we can ask for until everything is regularized again.”

 

 

For years, adolescent pregnancy has been an issue that Belize has been trying to reduce in vulnerable communities. Despite attempts made to increase use of contraceptive methods, Belize continues to have one of the lowest usages, with a high adolescent birth rate. This year, a new program is being implemented to counteract the issue. The Leave No One Behind, the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy in the Afro Descendant, Creole, Garifuna, and Miskito Peoples of the Caribbean Coast of Central America is being implemented in Belize through the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency. Today, a workshop was held with various organizations to bring attention to the data and discuss the implementation of this initiative. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Belize’s adolescent pregnancy rate continues to be one of the highest in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Despite the Ministry of Health’s efforts to provide contraception, adolescent usage is the lowest among Belizean women, and they have the highest unmet need for family planning. Around eleven percent of Belize’s adolescent girls, age fifteen to nineteen years, have had a baby. As concern over this issue increases, the need for intervention became more apparent. Thus, a program was launched to proactively reduce the numbers. Head of office for the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency in Belize, Tisa Grant, spoke to us about the integration of the program.

 

Tisa Grant, Liaison Officer, UNFPA in Belize

“This workshop is a part of one aspect of a regional project being implemented in Central America. The project is funded by the Duchy of Luxembourg. It’s called Leave No One Behind, the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy in the Afro Descendant, Creole, Garifuna, and Miskito Peoples of the Caribbean Coast of Central America. So it’s a very long name, but essentially the project aims to reduce adolescent pregnancy in select countries in Central America. Belize is one of the recipients of funding for this project. And so here in country we are implemented in three districts, Toledo, Stann Creek and Belize districts.”

 

According to data from the United Nations Population Fund, teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school, live in poor housing conditions, and be unemployed or in low-paid employment.  As a result, their children are more likely to live in poverty, become involved in crime, and abuse drugs and alcohol. At the workshop stakeholders were able to gather and discuss the impact of teen pregnancy, analyze data and discuss the roadmap for implementing solutions in country.

 

Tisa Grant

“We felt that it was important to have a wide cross section of stakeholders. particularly those who work in the response, um, to, um, reducing adolescent pregnancy, but also organizations that work with young people in general. So we’ve invited the ministry of health. We have, um, civil society organizations like BFLA, we have POWA, we have YWCA, we have a long list of civil society organizations and government representatives from the ministry of education, ministry of health, and. If I start listing, I may miss one of them. It was really about having a wide cross section of stakeholders that would be able to learn about this tool that was developed by UNFPA, by our Latin American and Caribbean regional office. The tool is called an Impact Evaluation Goal Model, and what it aims to do is to assess the impact of policies on the reduction of adolescent pregnancy and alternatives that would allow for access to services, but also access to information such as sexuality education and so forth.”

 

Southern Belize is highly affected by adolescent pregnancy. Vice President of the National Garifuna Council, Ifasina Efunyemi, said that the goal is to increase access to resources, sexual education and guidance for young women. The project emphasizes a proactive approach to preventing these unplanned pregnancies.

 

Ifasina Efunyemi, Vice President, National Garifuna Council

“If you were able to be a part of some of the data that was shared, we know that a lot Garifuna, young persons in districts specifically are among the highest when it comes to the rates of adolescent pregnancies in the country. And so all the ripple effects of that, all the issues we have in terms of nutrition, uh, maternal health, when you look at dropout rates, you look at other social issues that are related. to children having children or young people having children. We are impacted by those in our communities. And so it’s important for us to know what the data is saying so that that can inform the activities that we do, the kinds of interventions that we can have as an organization, because we know that when it comes to educating our community, we have an important role to play as an organization, as the National Garifuna Council.”

 

She said that that through the spread of data, organizations will be able to accurately determine how much resources are needed in each community.

 

Ifasina Efunyemi

“I am very pleased to have been given the opportunity to be in this gathering to get this information and also to learn of the information system that’s going to be implemented because it means that we can input that data and get some feedback on what are the projections if we’re able to provide contraceptive methods to our population so that we don’t have young people having children anymore that they are able to delay that Until they are adults, until they have already established themselves and can actually take care of themselves in a family, then we need to know what all we need to do, how many IUDs or how many implants, whatever it is that they need as a contraceptive method. What do we need to use so that we don’t have fifteen- to nineteen-year-olds having children?”

 

Gilda Mackenzie, of the Productive Organization of Women in Action, said that sessions like these assist organizations on their mission to ensure the safety and wellbeing of women in the country.

 

Gilda Mackenzie, Representative, Productive Organization of Women in Action

“The purpose that I’m here today, a part of the Impactful Estimation Model is to basically learn more about the project as we are here to advocate for our community. We work along with women and girls advocacy programs. We do community outreach. So it’s really nice to be a part of today’s session.  We also talk about pregnancy within the age group as well. We wanted to ensure that we are spreading awareness about the situation. We also want to ensure that we are properly educating our women and girls in our community as well.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.

As recently as ten years ago, the transmission of HIV through unprotected sex, and blood transfusion through the sharing of drug needles was alarming. In fact, to prevent further spread of the virus, health discussions back then were focused on condom-use. The idea eventually latched on and now, the transmission is around two hundred per year. But Belize is doing an even greater job at reducing the transmission of HIV from mother to child and for that, the World Health Organization recognized our efforts in that area. At a ceremony in Jamaica today, Belize was one of three Caribbean countries to receive certification for that achievement. According to Public Health Nurse Esther Deville, Belize has been recognized for reducing not only mother-to-child transmission of HIV below five percent, but also syphilis. News Five’s Marion Ali reports

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Belize’s efforts in reducing the incidence of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis have paid off with a recognition today by the World Health Organization. The global health authority today certified Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines for keeping their annual transmission rate below five percent. The effort to reach this goal, according to the Director of Public Health and Wellness, Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, began over two decades ago.

 

Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Dir., Public Health & Wellness

“We had started with the program of elimination from about the year 2000, between 2000 and 2004 when it really strengthened. We have been able to strengthen the capacity in our laboratory services. That has also helped us for early detection, more awareness, and early treatment, of course.”

 

Gynaecologist, Dr. Marcelo Coyi, says that under an agreement with the Ministry of Health & Wellness, private hospitals must also provide affordable access to pregnant mothers under the National Health Insurance.

 

Dr. Marcelo Coyi, Gynaecologist, Belize Medical Associates

“As soon as a woman goes to the general  clinic, a pregnancy test is done, and she’s automatically booked into the prenatal clinic so that we get them as early as possible in the first trimester. And that has been another change that we have seen, where the the amount of pregnant ladies joining the clinic in the first trimester has increased to about 90 percent in the first trimester. The medication used requires no out of pocket payment by patients. That is also a very critical part of ensuring that we continue to provide these medications free of cost.”

 

Stephanie Lisama took both the syphilis and HIV tests a couple months ago under the ministry’s program because she says she wants to know her status for her baby’s sake.

 

Stephanie Lisama, Pregnant Mother

“It’s important for me to have this syphilis and HIV test because I don’t know if I have it. So if I know, if I would know that I have it, then I would make sure that the baby is okay because then it can be transmitted to the baby and any complications can cause complications to the baby and that’s what I want to avoid.”

 

Public Health Nurse Esther Deville accompanied Minister of Health Kevin Bernard to Jamaica to receive the certificate. She shared with the media that there is a stringent protocol for administering the antiretrovirals to pregnant mothers who are infected. The medication, she says, significantly reduces the transmission of HIV to the unborn child, but the earlier the mother registers at a health clinic and tests for these diseases, the better it is for her baby.

 

Esther Deville, Public Health Nurse

“At this point where we are in Belize, there is no need for a child to be born with HIV, have a vertical transmission of HIV or syphilis because we have the medication and the resources available for them to prevent that. The medication now suppresses your viral load. By you suppressing your viral load, the chances of you transmitting the virus to your child is almost nil. And it is measured. We do have viral load testing in Belize, where we would test to see how it is. And the truth is, from my experience, from what I have experienced in caring for those women, is that one month the viral load decreases significantly. So the medications are very effective. You might have, for instance, a mother who, would reach probably late to the clinic, right. And there are medications that are given for these special matters. So everything is done from our part in the health system to ensure that this matter, this baby is negative. However, there might be some factors that are out of our control, and so it is not, it is less than 5%.”

 

Minister of Health and Wellness, Kevin Bernard joined in encouraging all pregnant mothers to make use of the chance to protect their baby’s future.

 

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“Every child has the right to born and remain free from HIV and syphilis.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.

The K.H.M.H. has commenced its annual celebration of nurse’s week, a time meant to honor the one hundred and seventy nurses staffed at the hospital. From May sixth to the twelfth, nurses will be recognized and rewarded for their commitment to ensuring the health of Belizeans, despite the hardships that come with the field. When the hospital is short of staff, nurses often work sixteen-hour shifts, making burnout one of the major challenges to overcome. This nurse’s week, we highlighted nurse Kalifa Gray, who told us what being a nurse means to her. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with that story.

 

Kalifa Gray, Nurse & Midwife, K.H.M.H.

“It’s the passion. It’s only the passion that keeps you here. The love that for what you do and caring for your patients and seeing the outcome at the end, that’s what keeps me going.”

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

For Kalifa Gray, a twenty-seven-year-old nurse and midwife at the KHMH, her job is never done. From the moment she wakes up until the moment she goes to sleep, she is thinking of ways to provide the best care to her patients. This dedication came from her passion for the field. A desire, she has had from a very young age.

 

Kalifa Gray

“I had the dream of becoming a nurse from around the age of five years old, around probably career day. That was just a childhood dream that transpired over to being a reality for me in my professional life. And it was a journey of just going straight from being in high school doing my sciences and going over to UB at the age of sixteen and completing my program in four years and then joining here at Karl Heusner in my professional life.”

 

Gray has served as a nurse at the KHMH for six and a half years and most recently became a midwife for the labor and delivery ward.

 

Kalifa Gray

“We work on both the maternity ward and the labor and delivery ward. So that includes assisting mothers giving birth and delivering babies, receiving babies from cesarean sections and just providing care and education for mothers to be able to take care of their newborns when they go back into the real world.”

 

According to Gray, the hours for nurses are intense, as the hospital struggles to meet the demands of patients with low staff. She said that overcoming burnout is a daily struggle for some nurses.

 

Kalifa Gray

“So nurses work twenty-four seven, three hundred sixty-five days of the year. So we work eight-hour shifts. And so that’s probably a shift from seven a.m. to three p.m., three p.m. to eleven p.m. And then fortnight nurses are clocked in at eleven p.m. to seven in the morning. And most times we do have nurses who work sixteen hours straight to cover shifts because of the short staff that we experience here within Karl Heusner.”

 

Despite the grueling hours, Gray said that it all becomes worth it when she sees her patients return home to their families in good health.

 

Kalifa Gray

“I think one of the best parts of being a nurse is seeing how our patients get to go home healthy and happy with their newborn. And that’s quite rewarding for us because there are so much that could go wrong in a delivery. And so just being able to see our patients going home healthy and satisfied is rewarding for me.”

 

Gray often works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which specializes in the care of ill or premature babies. She recalls becoming overwhelmed with emotion as she witnessed the recovery of one of her particularly premature patients. She pinpoints this moment as one of the highlights of her career.

 

Kalifa Gray

“I think one of the moments that standout the most to me was when I was moved over to the NICU department and learning how to care for newborns at a tender age of twenty-seven, twenty-eight weeks.  I watched the transition of newborns and neonates being nurtured, being cared for being resuscitated day after day within the NICU and three months later going home as a healthy bouncing baby. I think that was one of the points in my career where I said, this is the time. This is love. This is what I enjoy doing. This is a miracle and I get to see it every day.”

 

Nurses’ Week celebrations at the KHMH began with a staff breakfast leading into an award ceremony. Gray explained that the staff is grateful for the reminder that they are appreciated and that their hard work is recognized.

 

Kalifa Gray

“Nurses Week this week is significant to us as nurses and specifically to me because we get to celebrate ourselves. We get to encourage each other. We get to be recognized. There is awareness within the community that If you have a nurse who is a friend, who is a sister, who is a brother, to be able to show gratitude to them and let them know that they are doing a good job.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.