New clinic for Pickstock
Today the people of Pickstock welcomed a new addition to their division…a health clinic. The clinic is the brainchild of PUP standard bearer Godfrey Smith and will provide basic health care to residents of the area. Smith says the project is the product of an election promise and something his constituents desperately needed.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
In March, the two thousand voters in the Pickstock Division in Belize City were promised by PUP aspirant Godfrey Smith, that if he won the convention he would set up a health clinic in the area. Today, six months later, Smith made good on his promise.
Godfrey Smith, Standard Bearer, Pickstock Div.
“Well I supposed consultation on some of the basic disorders, family care especially in terms of young children, ailments of young children, advice on pregnancy, advice on delivery.”
And the delivery of health care may be accompanied by a slight language barrier, one Smith says will soon be overcome.
Godfrey Smith
“We are aware that yes, there could be a potential language barrier, since the doctor in this case is a Cuban and speaks Spanish. But we have a lot of bilingual people in the division and we also have several bilingual persons who work with us in the Pickstock office. So hopefully we will be able to overcome some of those obstacles.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“In a time when the N.H.I. is right here and there are actually N.H.I. services available on the southside we’re seeing more clinics. How does this figure into the N.H.I. equation?”
Godfrey Smith
“This doesn’t figure into N.H.I., it’s purely a very modest effort on the part of the people of Pickstock. It doesn’t really figure and hopefully if everything goes well then this will be able to dovetail into that and can be integrated as part of the N.H.I. process.”
Smith says he’s hoping that doctors may be able to make home visits when the need arises. Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.
The Pickstock Health Clinic, situated on Cran Street in Belize City will be opened to residents on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
