M.O.H. say they are Working on Hospital Capacity Overloads

The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital is at full capacity and according to the Ministry of Health, it is not the only hospital in the country operating under these conditions. Recently, the Surgery and I.C.U. units were at capacity so the hospital sent out an alert, informing district hospitals so that they may manage referrals. We asked K.H.M.H. C.E.O. Chandra Cansino-Nisbet about the situation and she said that this has been the case for several months. Doctor Jorge Polanco, Director of Hospital Services in the Ministry of Health, told us that situations like these are to be expected because of Belize’s population growth and the increase in traffic accidents and violent crimes. However, the ministry is working to alleviate the issue.

 

On the Phone: Dr. Jorge Polanco, Director of Hospital Services, Ministry of Health

“This is something that they would usually do to put us at the different other regional hospitals on the alert. And for us to be aware that they would need to be more keen in deciding what patients can be referred to the Karl Heusner for different medical emergencies. The reality is this, the context is that a Karl Heusner, when it was built how many years ago? About, almost thirty years ago, the population of Belize district was practically half the size of what it is right now. Then, apart from that, we have the situation of an increased prevalence of external injuries, road traffic accidents and gun violence. This in itself is a very specific, I would not say burden, but a very specific demand put on Karl Heusner persons with fractures that will be there for many days versus, let us say, a delivery that goes in today and you can discharge tomorrow or two days after. These alerts allow us to, to put more attention at the level of the region, and then that would guide us to decide if we bring in professionals from the private sector to give us a hand to fill those gaps that would be filled. The entire public is aware that plans are to replace the hospital in Belmopan, which has also lived a life. It is very small, the number of beds are limited, and the demand of services have increased. That  fact is tied into the plan of  replacing that hospital in Belmopan with another hospital, which will not only have secondary care services, but we will begin to phase in a very gradual manner, tertiary care services. So that in itself, on the medium term, will alleviate the issue of Karl Heusner having limited space to provide intensive care services or other tertiary care services. San Ignacio is another hospital that has reached its limit when it comes to the capacity to hold patient there and observation. So that’s another area that we need to look at.”