K.H.M.H. Renovates Accident and Emergency Unit  

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, 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, 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.”

 

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.