1. PUP PRESS CONFERENCE
June 12, 2012
Statement on Health
By Hon Marco Tulio Mendez
My fellow Belizeans today I come to speak to you about some issues in the Health Sector,
unfortunately health care, a basic human right is being neglected. After consultation with my
colleagues and allies in Public Health Services across the country, I was disheartened. It
frightened me to realize that I was not the only one frustrated in my medical professional. But,
that in fact, our country is INFECTED at all levels of the Health Sector by an INEFFICIENT
health scheme: Primary health care which includes the services at Health Posts and Health
Centres have undoubtedly declined, many are abandoned with no medications for our people, no
permanent nurses, and no doctors. Some Health Posts and Polyclinics, for example the Benque
Viejo Del Carmen Polyclinic is just an empty building being used as a Health Post, PG Hospital
is with a non-functional x-ray machine, rented ambulance and lack medications. Isabel Palma
Polyclinic down south which provides services to San Antonio and surrounding highly populated
villages, has no lab technician and presently without an ambulance, making it very difficult for
our country people to access health care. N.H.I. the most important health program in our
country introduced by the PUP cannot be rolled out to the rest of the nation. Five years into this
administration and the people of the Cayo district have not obtained primary health care under
N.H.I., nor the people of the Orange Walk and Corozal district, not even Corozal, the second
poorest district in our country. We cannot afford it says government.
Social Security cannot afford to contribute but yes, yes they can afford millions for other
investments. Even the package of diagnostic services under N.H.I. has been drastically reduced.
Poor pregnant women can no longer get N.H.I. assistance under this government. The chronic
diseases killing our people—Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart attack and Cancer will not be well
controlled and treated without preventative care and early detection programs as the N.H.I.
Cancer, so frequent now, needs to be addressed effectively not only through awareness, but
because our poor people and ailing patients have to raise funds to get relief to travel to
Guatemala and Merida which is expensive; I am saying that Belize needs a well equipped Cancer
Center. And the so-called Regional Hospitals are so ill-equipped and understaffed that most
surgical cases are referred to the KHMH. At the KHMH questionable events have occurred and
we haven’t heard about the Report on the allegations made by the Store Clerk on the Hospital’s
procurement procedures for pharmaceutical, medical and other supplies—it has been kept very
silent. Our most important resource in health care, human resource, the doctors, who work long
hours and have not obtained a raise of salary in years and some are being victimized by

2. irrationally transferring them to distant areas away from their families and hometown. Do you
know that under this government today foreign doctors are brought to displace competent, born-
Belizean doctors; and political interference is also a plague within the health services.
Of great concern has been the Annual Health Report by GOB of an increase in preventable
disease as Dengue cases went from 118 cases in 2008 to 2,178 cases 2010. Imagine
immunization coverage decreased drastically in the Western Region due to lack of
transportation, while Ministers are riding in their fancy rides. Malnutrition, in the Northern
Region increased to 185% in rural areas.
All this is just a reflection of our collapsed economy.
My people, well I guess there has been an improvement, because our newly improved modern
morgue is now constantly housing more and more of our brutally, cold-blooded murdered
children and youths due to this uncontrollable crime. This Government needs to ask for
forgiveness to all those grieving mothers and broken families suffering and struggling. Enough
is enough, man, we need to wake-up and demand better. We are one country, one people; let’s
work hand in hand to make Belize a healthy nation for ourselves and for our children. Health is
the wealth of a nation!