On Monday, the Government of Belize sought to clarify information surrounding the purchase of fifteen acres of private land for use as the proposed location for the construction of a tertiary level hospital in Belmopan. While the property was bought for almost seven million dollars, the Minister of Health and Wellness told reporters that the financial transaction with businessman Kenny Zheng was completed in three instalments.
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness
“The government did not buy the land in just one payment. There was a down payment. It was done in three payments, actually. It’s a standard purchasing agreement, a down payment was made in June. In July, another instalment was made and then the balance was paid off. Now let me also give the rationale as to why this happened. As you know, when dealing with the IFIs and the multinationals and these loans, if you are going to construct any facility or any loan that is being had for any investment within, in the case of the hospital, the property must be under the Government of Belize. Ownership must be had. Time is also of essence and we need to ensure that the work and the project gets done. We’re not going to be, and I am saying this here because I am not going to be like the former Minister of Health who got up there, boasted, had big pump and circumstance about a thirty-million-dollar grant funding, which he ended losing, for building the hospital. We are making sure it goes through the right process and we are following the condition of the loan agreement. Minister Julius Espat was very clear in his response when it was asked of him and similarly, if you look at the road network that would have to have been invested alone, you’re talking about close to seven million dollars just in the nine-mile stretch of road. You also have to understand that in addition to that, as the technocrats at BWS have said, you’re going to have to invest another two point five million dollars in terms of getting the water and sewerage system in place.”
On Monday, the Government of Belize held a press conference to answer the questions on the minds of every Belizean regarding the six-point-nine-million-dollar land purchased to build a University Hospital in Belmopan. The facility was initially supposed to be constructed on land belonging to the University of Belize, which would come at no cost to the government. Nonetheless, a technical team advised the Briceño administration otherwise. When we caught up with Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler, we asked for his take on the situation.
Reporter
“You spoke about, how much incidents that happened that affected the tourism industry. So with the Belmopan Hospital being built, and your thoughts on the location change, because I know they changed it because of the accessibility?”
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism
“What are you asking me?
Reporter
Your thoughts on moving it from where it was supposed to be, on the UB land, to the front of Belmopan.”
Anthony Mahler
“From what was presented to us in cabinet, it was a technical decision by The technical experts within the Ministry of Health and if they say that’s the most appropriate place for it to go then we have to listen but I support Minister Fonseca’s position as well that UB is always an option and we should continue to look at that seriously.”
While at the head table, Minister of Health Kevin Bernard allayed concerns of any legal action to be taken against the Government of Belize for its purchase of the land in question. C.E.O. Julio Sabido also reiterated that the University Hospital, despite it not being a teaching hospital, will be made available to medical students attending U.B.
Paul Lopez
“Do you foresee any sort of legal action coming against the government where this deal is concerned and how then do we move forward if that is the case?”
Kevin Bernard
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness
“I’m not sure why you’re referring to legal action. Now, if we had really taken advantage of the owner of the land that’s where I would have presumed legal action. If we would have gone to what some people were saying compulsorily acquiring the land, then we could have ended up costing the Belizean people far more money. It was a genuine, like I said, there was no smoking gun. Clear procedures were followed, a clear assessment was made and we have now gotten the land for us to proceed with the work of constructing as soon as the other phase has been completed.”
Julio Sabido
Julio Sabido, C.E.O., Ministry of Health & Wellness
“There is going to be the access for that hospital, it will still be a teaching hospital as it relates to UB’s part. The primary purpose of this hospital that will be built is not to be a teaching hospital. The primary purpose is to deliver secondary and tertiary services to the population. The added value, the icing on the cake is that UB will now have a place where they can send their students to study and practice before they become medical practitioners.”
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital has received another upgrade from the Belize Tourism Board. Today, the hospital revealed the newly renovated Accident and Emergency Unit. Over six hundred thousand dollars was invested in the project to provide better healthcare to Belizeans and tourists visiting the country. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the inauguration for more details. Here’s the report.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
In life-or-death situations, the accident and emergency unit is often the first point of contact for patients of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Now, after years treating patients in a dilapidated facility, the K.H.M.H. Accident and Emergency Unit received a much needed upgrade. C.E.O. of the K.H.M.H., Chandra Nisbet Cansino, explains what patients can expect to see in that part of the hospital.
Chandra Nisbet Cansino
Chandra Nisbet Cansino, C.E.O., Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital
“We have upgraded the area where patients will now sit and wait. And we have upgraded some of the patient rooms. We also have some equipment. You don’t see anything in here as yet because they will start to set up. This week we wanted the media to have an opportunity if you all wanted to do a tour and we wouldn’t be able to do that if patients were in the beds. So we are going to set it up and if you all want to come back to look at it after that, then you are welcome to do but it’s primarily, and then we fix the entire roof. Change the entire air conditioning system to a more efficient system and so it’s definitely going to be more comfortable.”
Funding for the project was provided by the Belize Tourism Board. Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler explained the significant role that healthcare facilities play in tourism.
Anthony Mahler
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism
“Tourism touches a lot of other sectors, a lot of other industries, health being one of them when people look at the destination to come, they look at the health services provided. We in the past, we inaugurated the Poly Clinic in Placencia to support that era, which is one of the fastest growing eras of tourism in the country. We’ve had some major incidents over the last few years here in the Belize District, and we believe that if we are to cater for a large number of tourists coming into the Belize district, seventy percent of the cruise passengers come here and all overnight arrivals to the airport come to the Belize district. If you’re any, you have any mass casualty issue, then, I think Karl Heusner has to be prepared.”
The renovation of the unit is just one of many changes coming to the hospital as it continues to improve the services provided to the citizens of Belize.
Chandra Nisbet Cansino
“There is something about an aesthetically pleasing look. When you go to places, you already, feel bad, you to come. You’re sick. The least we can do is make it at least look welcoming. And we also took into consideration the staff because it certainly upgrades the working conditions for staff as well.”
Community health workers provide basic health and medical care within their communities. There are dozens of these trained men and women across the country and as the communities grow, reliance on these workers increases. To expand the scope of these workers’ capabilities and ensure that they are adequately supported, the Ministry of Health and its partners have launched the updated Community Health Workers Manual and job aid tool. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at the ceremony today for more details.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
For many people living in remote areas of the country, accessing immediate healthcare can be a challenge, particularly for the elderly or those living with disabilities. Often, community health workers are the first point of contact in receiving medical attention. This year, Belize is strengthening resources and support for these workers with the launch of the revised Community Healthcare Workers Manual. Technical Advisor for the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Kathleen Azueta Cho explained that the last update to the manual came in 2013, and considering the country’s growing reliance on these workers, the need for additional support was crucial.
Kathleen Azueta Cho
Kathleen Azueta Cho, Technical Advisor, MOHW
“This new manual that we are launching today is a comprehensive document that encompasses the different topics that are cross cutting across the Ministry of Health and Wellness. It includes topics ranging from maternal child health, mental health, which was deficient in the first manual. We have environmental health, we have nutrition, and it really is a document that was developed with feedback from the different partners and the community health workers themselves. Initially we started with a review and a desk analysis of what is existing and what is deficient.”
The community health workers will also be receiving a job aid tool and an increased monthly stipend of five hundred dollars. The job aid tool is a portable flipbook that workers can reference while out in the field for additional information. Minister of Health and Wellness, Kevin Bernard says that further resources are in the works.
Kevin Bernard
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness
“Our steps include expanding partnerships with international financial institutions to optimize the CHW program. We aim to equip our community health workers with digital tools like tablets to transform and streamline their work, enhance communication, and improve the quality of care they provide. We will also develop an operational monitoring and evaluation plan for community health programs. This will ensure that our health care services are effective, efficient, and responsive to community needs. It is crucial to invest in the elements of CHW programs such as supervision, structures, and continuous training, but equally important is fostering trusting relationships between our CHWs, our community members, and health professionals.”
UNICEF and Official Development Assistance Korea are key players in providing support and funding for the program. Health and Nutrition specialist at UNICEF, Doctor Olusola Oladeji explained UNICEF’S role in bringing this project into fruition.
Dr. Olusola Oladejo
Dr. Olusola Oladejo, Health and Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF
“Last days we had the discussion with the ECOPA unit led by miss Kathleen and her team to look at the community health workers program as well in Belize. We used a tool called community health workers problem matrix to assess what are the areas of improvement. One of the area we discover was the training, the old manual that was developed in 2013 was found not to be sufficient anymore in terms of the content, if you could remember in the last few years, especially during the COVID community health workers were very supportive during the COVID outbreak. So that led to the need to review their time of reference, their scope of work as much as possible. And more importantly because when the government increased their stipend from a hundred Belize dollars to five hundred Belize dollars. It became so important that there used to be need to expand their scope of work.”
Recently, there’s been a rise in COVID cases and respiratory illnesses in Belize. According to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the cases are not severe, and the increase is to be expected at this time of year. We spoke with Director of the Epidemiology Unit, Russell Manzanero, who told us that COVID is here to stay.
Russell Manzanero
Russell Manzanero, Director, Epidemiology Unit, M.O.H.W.
“We have covid. Definitely. Covid is here. Covid won’t go away. Covid is here to stay. As with all the other respiratory and influenza viruses, it is here. So definitely the measures that we need to do has to be the same. Cough etiquette, hand hygiene that has to continue. As for the severity of cases with covid, we’re not seeing that severe cases. We’re not seeing hospitalized patients. But yes, we have ongoing transmission of covid. We have seen an increase of cases in the past weeks, so definitely there is still a measure that we need to be doing.”
Britney Gordon
“What do you think contributes to the increase that we see at certain periods during the year and what can we do to minimize that?”
Russell Manzanero
“Influenza viruses or respiratory viruses tend to have their peaks. Yes We usually see it at the beginning or the ending of the year. It contributes somehow with the with how the conditions are with climate it’s also a factor of how we do with movement of people, the interaction we have between our networks. So definitely if you see right now it’s on the lower end, but the moment we start going back to school and everybody start going in, you’re going to see that rise in cases again. Definitely, that’s why we recommend that you get the vaccines for influenza pretty much in the last part of the year, early part of the years for the same reasons that you start seeing those increases.”
A zoonotic disease is an infectious illness that has jumped from animals to humans. They can be transmitted in many ways, such as bacteria or parasites, but may even spread through unconventional agents such as food, water or the environment. Today, stakeholders in the health sector and environmental organizations participated in a workshop with several regional partners to discuss twenty-eight diseases that pose a threat to the region and identify how to tackle at least five primary concerns for the country.
Russell Manzanero
Russell Manzanero, Director, Epidemiology Unit, MOHW
“We’re gathered here the different ministries we have from environment, agriculture. We have from administrative health and wellness. We’re gathered here with different stakeholders, of course, to look at what is the prioritization of diseases in the country. We’re part of an entire membership within the globally of how we want to prioritize the different illnesses within our own country. Yes, we might be following different illnesses, but definitely when we start to look at prioritization of illnesses, we can look at different agendas, we can look at the strategies that would be geared towards what we would call under the One Health approach. What this means is that we can now follow diseases, we can put into strategies and follow, monitor these illnesses at the different levels within the different ministries. As we mentioned, we really cannot work alone when it comes to following illnesses and surveillance. It’s basically a network. It’s basically working under the One Health approach with the different ministries and agencies towards that goal.”
Anthony Mai
Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer, DOE
“Zoonotic issues is the transfer of disease from animals to humans. Alright? The idea is that everything in the environment is connected. And so As different disease comes up, emerge and spread globally, the scientists and the doctors are looking at the sources of those disease and several of those sources comes from directly from the environment in terms of bacteria, microorganisms, animals, et cetera, that is within the environment, basically. But when the tricks of urbanization and development expands, people become exposed to different things within the environment that they were not exposed to before. And so because of these tricks. When exposure happened, normally disease could be transmitted from animals to humans through that means.”
Recently, the World Health Organization announced that a new variant of Monkey Pox was identified in Africa, however, according to the Ministry of Health, none of the variants have been detected in Belize. Since the 2022 outbreak of the disease in the country, the ministry has kept an eye out for a possible reemergence in Belize. We spoke with Russell Manzanero, Director of the Epidemiology Unit at the Ministry of Health, about the possibility of acquiring vaccines in country.
Russell Manzanero
Russell Manzanero, Director, Epidemiology Unit, MOHW
“It is a concern. August fourteenth, WHO did declare it a public health emergency of international concern. Mainly because of the increase of cases within Africa. If you do understand MPOCS is, has different clades. Different variants. We have clade one and two. When we had the first outbreak in 2022, which basically affected globally, we did see that scenario was based on clade 2. Now that we’re seeing this increase of cases within Africa, that’s a different clade, that’s clade 1b. It has been sparking some interest there because of the outbreak of cases, especially among adults and children. And the concern there is that it is no longer a sexual mode of transmission, but now it has been moved now towards a more direct contact between individuals. Of course, the concern of why it became a public health emergency was because of the different limitations that you might see in Africa. Of course, you look at the impact may have on the general population. You look at what the health system in existence is there. So definitely with movement with people, then definitely you can have that potential spread to other parts of the world.”
Reporter
“In terms of vaccination are there vaccines available? What’s the likelihood and possibility of Belize actually getting?”
Russell Manzanero
“I am certain that our management is looking at that option along with PAH on WHO. But definitely before you start looking at vaccination procedures, you want You want to look at the impact it’s having on different countries. The availability is limited. So right now, they will start to look at the concerns within Africa. They will start to target that area. And if they can control it in those points, then of course, transmission is lowered.”
It’s a zoonotic disease, which means it can spread from animals to humans and from human to human when bodily droplets from an infected person are transmitted through open wounds, injuries and lesions. The World Health Organization has announced that a new variant of Monkey Pox has been identified, however, none of its variants have been detected in Belize. Today, Director of Public Health and Wellness, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa said the advisory was given because of an upsurge of cases in the African region. Even though we are literally halfway around the world from each other, since air travel puts us one flight away, Belize’s health officials are on the alert at the points of entry.
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director, Public Health & Wellness
“We ensure that our surveillance team and border teams are aware of this increase in cases of monkeypox. So the difference this time around is that monkeypox, they have identified a subvariant or a clad as we call it, subvariant 1-B. So this is the new subvariant that was identified in 2024, and this is the subvariant that’s spreading in the African regions. And for that reason, the notification to the public and the information is now being shared that there is a new subvariant, but you mentioned that in Mexico there is an issue, but official reports from Mexico shows that none of this new subvariant has been diagnosed in Quintana Roo or in any part of Mexico. Of course, Mexico has the original Mpox. They have forty-nine confirmed cases of the original variant, but none of this new subvariant.”
On the rise in Belize are cases of gastroenteritis, also spread through bodily droplets. Musa explained that while cases of dengue rise and fall from week to week, gastrointestinal cases are among the most common of the communicable diseases that are on the increase. If you happen to be experiencing belly or stomach pain, cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, chances are you have gastroenteritis and should visit your doctor.
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director, Public Health & Wellness
“Gastroenteritis is in the alert zone for most of the country, and that’s in over five and under five as an issue. Dengue and upper respiratory tract infections and acute respiratory tract infections fluctuate over the week. So those are better controlled at this point, but gastroenteritis, we’re still reporting and seeing increased cases of this. Gastroenteritis most commonly is caused by viruses, again, spread through droplets, and respiratory droplets. So this is just something for the community to be aware that there is a slight increase of gastroenteritis.”
