The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital is strategizing ways to further improve its services to the public. Tuesday at the cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister John Briceño, K.H.M.H. C.E.O. Chandra Cansino made a presentation in which she provided an update on the status of the institution and discussed ways to enhance and improve service to Belizeans. The areas the hospital is looking to further develop include oncology, cardiology, and other specialized services. Cansino stressed that as both a regional hospital and the nation’s only public tertiary hospital, it is necessary that that standard of care be ever improving. In recent months, the K.H.M.H. has made multiple renovations to the facilities and received donations of medical supplies and equipment as a part of this mission.
Tag: 2024-05-15
A Polyclinic is Finally Opened on Placencia Peninsula
The Placencia Polyclinic is finally open for business, and it is a welcome change for residents of the peninsula who, for years, have had to travel elsewhere to receive emergency medical attention. The clinic was built through the efforts of the Belize Tourism Board and the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The Government of Belize recognized the need to provide better healthcare services to residents of Stann Creek District. It also ensured that one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations is now equipped with the necessary facilities to encourage longer stays. News Five’s Britney Gordon was on hand for the opening ceremony has that story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
For many years, residents of Placencia have had to journey by boat or land to receive emergency medical care in Independence Village. That inconvenience is now a thing of the past, as the Placencia Polyclinic was finally inaugurated this morning. Minister of Health and Wellness, Kevin Bernard, told us about the culmination of this project.
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Heath & Wellness
“This initiative started ever since we got elected. Minister Ferguson had reached out to Minister Mahler and quickly to the Ministry of Tourism and BTB support, we were able to get this facility going. You will understand, as well, that a lot of the medical equipment was also contributed to the foundation, the Heineman Foundation and we also got some of the contribution from the recent donation that we got from Mister and Misses Lord that was handed over at that ceremony at KHMH. So some of the beds and so forth was also placed here. So it’s a joint effort.”
Construction of the clinic was made possible through a partnership between the BTB and the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler said that upgrades to various resources across Belize is an integral part of developing the tourism sector.
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism
“If you really look into the infrastructure needed to support the tourism industry, health is one of them. Electricity is another, water, security, road infrastructure, all of those things. All of those things play an important role in making a premier destination available to people from all across the world and within Belize. And when we look at the growth rate happening On the Placencia peninsula and there was no polyclinic or hospital facility to the level that we think it should be. Then we partnered with a Norwegian from out of Harvester to build this facility here.”
Approximately three million dollars was invested in the clinic and there are plans for future expansion. According to Bernard, the clinic is still waiting for additional equipment to be delivered.
“I can guarantee you that within no time this facility will have everything fully functional. As notice there’s an x ray room. We don’t have a radiologist here. We’re working on trying to get radiologists. That’s a big area where we need, where we’re seeing in terms of the health gaps, where we need more radiologists in the country. And so in finding people who are willing to come to the, to these areas to work is what we are faced with. But however, we are working very hard to do we are making sure that at least the major service, the main services that needs to be offered at the facility is be able to offer it. But as in terms of your question, in terms of making sure equipments, the equipments and medical equipments are available, we already identify what equipment’s are to be here. And those are the ones that we have earmarked to come this way.”
The clinic offers an array of services, including maternity and childcare, an asthma bay and a pharmacy. An ambulance was also donated to the clinic. In the event of an emergency, the clinic is also equipped with a generator and water reserves. Stann Creek West representative, Rodwell Ferguson, said that this clinic was long overdue.
Rodwell Ferguson, Area Representative, Stann Creek West
“This is a milestone for the entire Pacific Peninsula because it’s a major tourist destination. And then even likewise the locals, it have maybe about maybe three thousand to five thousand people in the peninsula all together and when there is a major health issue, the closest place is Independence. If you don’t have a boat, you can’t go across the lagoon. You have to drive all the way around to reach Independence or Dangriga. So this by itself might save lives. I’m hopeful that within the next six months, staff this building to be able to satisfy the need of the people of the percentage of peninsula, including person that’s in Placencia, Seine Bight, and Riversdale.”
In order to match the service provided by the Independence Polyclinic, this facility plans to offer twenty-four seven medical care. Minister Bernard told us that housing is currently in the works for doctors and nurses.
“We know that one of the major challenge that have always been in terms of the doctors having a doctor’s station in, in Placencia Peninsula. Was always a critical issue. And so we are working on that as well to see if we could get the previous facility renovated so we could house the doctors there, that way doctors can be here available twenty-four seven. Of course, this will be a twenty-four hour facility and provide continuous service, emergency service, routine checkups other specialized care when the doctor come in.”
Britney Gordon for News Five.
University Hospital Location Still in Limbo
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.”
Surgery and Operating Room Coming to Cayo
The roles public healthcare plays in tourism are not being overlooked by the Belize Tourism Board, nor the ministry of Tourism. That is the message shared by the members of the tourism sector as they bolster their efforts to enhance the quality of service provide to Belizean citizens and visitors. Today, at the inauguration of the Placencia Polyclinic, which was built through the efforts of the B.T.B. and the Ministry of Health and Wellness, we asked Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler what other areas the ministry is planning to work on next. Here’s his response.
Britney Gordon
“Are there any other areas that the BTB is looking to specifically target in regards to health care?”
Anthony Mahler, Minster of Tourism
“Actually, we’ve been having discussions with the area reps from Cayo district to see if we can partner in building surgery facility and operating room because they don’t have one in the western regional hospital or whatever it is called. But we’re looking at that and other projects.”
Vega’s Distributors Limited Donates Bug Sprays and Cash to Belize Red Cross
Vega’s Distributors Limited handed over the equivalent of four thousand dollars in cash and products to the Belize Red Cross. Fifteen days away from the start of the hurricane season, the Belize Red Cross is gathering resources for its 2024 disaster relief efforts. Today, they received several boxes of bug sprays and two thousand dollars cash from Vega’s Distributors Limited. We were at the handing over ceremony this morning, where we heard more about how these resources will be put into use.
Osborn Collins, Sales and Marketing Manager, Vegas Distributors
“Over the years the Red Cross has been synonymous with service to the community, especially in time of disaster. In reviewing the list of donors recipients, the Belize Red Cross stood out because of the many years of Service. The McBride Caribbean Limited whose headquarters is in Barbados and the factory of BOP insect spray, at Vega Distributors we have the BOP original, however all the BOP products can be found in all supermarkets across Belize. On behalf of the management of Vegas Distributors as the official distributors in Belize. WE are handing over these nineteen cases of BOP products valued about two thousand dollars along with two thousand dollars in cash to the Belize Red Cross.”
Monica Herredia, Volunteer Manager, Belize Red Cross
“This donation comes in handy because it is the start of our preparation for Hurricane season and we really, we want to have everything in place. We have started procurement and getting everything in place for the hurricane season. Of course, we don’t want to have a hurricane come to Belize but we have to be prepared. So, this donation means a lot in terms of prepared in case there is a dengue outbreak in Belize.”
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico Critical Following Shooting
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is in critical condition after being shot following a political event on Wednesday afternoon.
“Three or four” shots were heard. Fico acquired wounds to his head and chest. Local reports say he was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
A suspect has been detained by police.
He was shot in a “politically motivated” assassination attempt when leaving a government meeting on Wednesday, the interior minister said.
Slovakia, a member of NATO and the European Union, has little history of political violence. Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden joined Slovakia’s EU partners in expressing shock and condemnation of the shooting.
BDF Confirms Shooting at Fairweather Camp
The Belize Defence Force (BDF) confirmed a shooting that occurred at Fairweather Camp on the outskirts of Punta Gorda Town.
No one was injured.
Chief of Staff Colonel Ricardo Leal exclusively told News that “Yesterday at approximately 5:15 pm, a senior non-commissioned officer for unknown reason discharged six 9mm rounds with his personal weapon into the air within the periphery of Fairweather Camp, Punta Gorda.”
Colonel Leal further told News Five that “The disgruntled Senior non commissioned officer, who was the Battalion Duty Officer, was displeased after he was not given his requested time he wanted to deal with his personal issues.”
He also said that a report has been made to the Punta Gorda Police Station and that the matter is presently being investigated by the Belize Police Department.
The ‘disgruntled senior non-commissioned officer’ has been identified as staff Sergeant Adolfo Williams, who fired several shots from his personal nine-millimeter firearm into the air.