BELIZE CITY, Fri. Oct. 22, 2021 –On the heels of a public statement from the PSU last week which condemned the creation of two new directorships within the Ministry of Health and Wellness that decimates the authority of the Director of Health Services post, the United Democratic Party has issued a statement of its own to echo the PSU’s assertion that political games are being played within the country’s health system.

The United Democratic Party (UDP) release states, “Politics above professionalism is the clear rationale and purpose behind the announced intention of the Briceño administration to abolish the post of Director of Health Services (DHS) and replace it with two lesser posts, neither of which will have the authority or command the respect that the office once had.”

The UDP Secretariat decried this decision and pointed out that even the Minister of the Public Service, Hon. Henry Charles Usher, could not proffer a logical explanation for the destructuring of the post. In the statement, the UDP Secretariat questioned whether the creation of the two posts is an attempt at making the Director of Health Services role redundant by having two new directors assume the responsibilities previously held by the DHS. Concerns were also raised about which persons will be appointed as the new directors — whether senior officers within the ministry will be promoted, or persons outside the Ministry will be hired. The UDP release further suggested that allowing political affiliation to influence the selection process may damage the integrity of the new appointments.

The UDP Secretariat asserted in the statement that the DHS role — especially amidst a pandemic — is too critical to be handled in a manner that is tainted by political motives. The release says, “The vital role of the office of the DHS requires that it always be shielded from politics. It is a technical post, the holder of which should guide the government and health system from a scientific and public health standpoint, and to politicize it will be to the detriment of the well-being of our citizens. To tamper with such an important office particularly at this time, when the health of the nation is under the most severe threat ever, is unthinkable, dangerous and deadly.”

In concluding the release, the UDP called on the Government of Belize to reconsider the recent decision.