Health and Wellness Ministry to Address $6.9 Million Land Controversy in Press Conference

The Ministry of Health and Wellness will host a press conference this afternoon in Belize City to address its controversial $6.9 million land acquisition. The conference is intended “to clarify the land purchase for the new hospital.”

News 5 will carry the press conference live on our social media platforms. 

This follows Friday’s protest in Belmopan led by land activist Nigel Petillo, which gathered the participation of various groups demanding a reversal of the land purchase that was initially earmarked for a teaching hospital and accusing officials of ‘lacking transparency.’

Former Health Minister Jose Coye during an online talk show voiced his opinion. Coye expressed his support for the initial plan to develop a faculty of medicine at the university. He criticised the decision to relocate the faculty and questioned the rationale behind the land purchase, urging that the funds be used as originally intended to enhance Belize’s healthcare system and support health tourism.

“It’s not about partisan politics. This is about the good of Belize. Let’s put Belize first. That money must be spent on what it was intended for. And if we, the people, decide it is, then it must be. So it’s not about whether they will do it or not. No, we must be committed to letting the government be held accountable to the citizens,” Coye asserted.