by Kristen Ku

BELIZE CITY, Mon. May 29, 2023

The announcement of a $90 million loan obtained by the government from Saudi Arabia for the construction of a 150-bed tertiary care hospital in Belmopan has stirred a serious debate among healthcare professionals in Belize. The staff of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority (KHMHA), through their union, have issued a press release to voice concerns about the project’s rationale and timing.

Currently, there is already a shortage of trained medical personnel to provide services at the KHMH and other existing medical facilities. According to the KHMHA Workers’ Union, the hospital is in need of an additional 50 nurses and 20 doctors, among other healthcare professionals.

One primary reason for the shortage of trained medical workers is the departure of local nurses who are offered better compensation packages and working conditions in developed countries, and the KHMHA Workers Union is insisting that the country needs to focus on retention packages for healthcare workers.

The KHMH staff has pointed out that their hospital was built with the vision of future expansion and has adapted to the ever-changing healthcare needs of the public. Yet, in its almost 28-year history, the KHMH has been held back by political interference and insufficient funding.

The union has indicated that the current healthcare system is already stretched thin, with shortages in medical and nursing services, physiotherapy, imaging services, and basic supplies and equipment.

In neighboring Trinidad and Tobago, the government is investing over $225 million USD to upgrade an existing public hospital to create a state-of-the-art facility.

In light of such upgrade projects, the KHMH union has raised key questions about the proposed new hospital such as:

• Where will the technological and manpower resources come from, given the current shortages at KHMH and regional hospitals throughout the country?
• Is the new project meant to undermine KHMHA, which has provided non-stop services despite chronic shortages?

Notably, earlier this year, the hospital’s union protested against the dire shortage of medical supplies and human resources, showing up to work in short pants to draw attention to their concerns.

The $90 million designated for the new hospital, the union believes, could be better spent on capacity- building for the KHMH, including nursing education and training of doctors.

The funds could also be used to provide additional resources, equipment and know-how in key areas, such as internal medicine, hemodialysis, oncology, cardiology, neurology, and more.

It could further be directed to creating retention strategies for nurses, purchasing CT scans and MRIs, upgrading ambulance fleets, increasing human resources at regional hospitals, and fortifying the buildings which house the KHMH so that they can withstand strong hurricanes.

The KHMH staff remind the government of the #Plan Belize promise, which acknowledged the need for urgent improvement of the KHMH.

It is being reported that, in addition to the press release issued by the KHMH workers union, the union is also planning to hold a press conference, although the scheduled date of the conference is yet unknown.

Amandala reached out to the Minister of Health and Wellness, Hon. Kevin Bernard, who explained that a response by the Ministry is currently in preparation.

The Prime Minister, Hon. John Briceño, however, commented on the matter, describing the investment as strategic, something the KHMHA is too nearsighted to grasp.

“Karl Heusner has reached its max. The idea is for us to build a new hospital in Belize, probably in the Lake I area … then we could have two regional hospitals in Belize that can provide some sort of tertiary services,” he suggested.

He further explained that the plan is to set up a new regional hospital in Belmopan, considering how vulnerable the KHMH is to hurricanes and the current state of the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan.

This new project will therefore serve to relieve the KHMH from the pressure that results from having to serve patients from all surrounding districts. In regards to the insufficient resources at the KHMH, PM Briceño said that GoB is currently working to raise funds to address those needs.

“Karl Heusner needs help? Of course, they need more equipment. Yes, they need more equipment. And we’re also working with CABE to see if we could get some more funding to be able to do that,” assured PM Briceño.