Universal Health celebrates 1st anniversary
It was not all that long ago when the best medical advice a Belizean doctor could give a seriously ill patient was “go to Merida”. Today more Belizeans than ever are receiving their medical care at home, and one reason is the institution that today celebrated its first anniversary.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
One year ago a couple of local doctors got together to work on a plan to provide the national with affordable, yet high quality diagnostic treatment. Today, that effort has grown to include a broad range of health care at Universal Health Services Medical Arts Complex.
Dr. Anastacio Cobb, Deputy C.E.O./Chief of Staff, U.H.S.
“It has gone beyond the expectations of the physicians that were here. And I think we went beyond the expectations for the country of Belize, because we have set up a system that is not available nowhere in Belize, but here at Universal.”
Jacqueline Woods
“What system are we talking about?”
Dr. Anastacio Cobb
“Here we have one of the most technologically advanced healthcare system. Some of the new frontiers that we have broken were for example a cardiac lab that was non-existent in Belize. Also, an intensive care unit that was not functional in the country and recently haemodialysis.”
Dr. Cobb believes U.H.S. has met its objective and Belizeans no longer have to travel abroad to seek medical expert treatment.
Dr. Anastacio Cobb
“I think the way we have seen us growing, I think we can only keep on growing. We still have a lot of people going abroad. I think one of the important things that we have to break into our country is that Belize has the ability to attend to their illnesses and they do not have to travel abroad.”
But not everyone can easily afford to use the services provided by private health institutions like U.H.S. That’s why a payment plan has been introduced to broaden the appeal of the service.
Dr. Anastacio Cobb
“As a policy we do not turn back patients, especially in emergency when people arrive first and maybe this is the first place that they come to. We have a policy that we attend to those patients, stabilise them, and then we worry the finances. But of course, there is also a system in place where the patients can make a payment plan towards their medical expenses.”
Cobb says as U.H.S. moves forward there are plans to further expand the facility. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
Today, as part of U.H.S.’s first anniversary, patients were given a fifty percent discount on consultations, diagnostics and laboratory tests.
