Cabinet approves hurricane preparedness/rehabilitation projects

Security at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and Hurricane Mitch rehabilitation were among the topics discussed at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting in Belmopan. Today’s briefing reports that Cabinet decided that the Ministry of Health should hire a security company for the K.H.M.H. and that a rental system should be created to allow private doctors access to operating facilities, space and staff services at the hospital. Under the Ministry of Trade and Investment, three bills will be presented at the next House of Representatives meeting which are designed to develop and promote the offshore industry. These are a Financial Services Commission Bill, and International Insurance Bill and a Retired Person Incentives Bill. In the Ministry of Economic Development Cabinet has approved three projects for hurricane preparedness and rehabilitation that require external funding. The first project concentrates on the rehabilitation of streets, roads, drains, piers and beach erosion, the second is a proposal for the construction of multi-purpose centers in Belmopan, Orange Walk, Stann Creek and Toledo. The third proposal is for a water and sewerage project in Belmopan. And finally the Ministry of National Security informed the Cabinet that a report by former Commissioner Sherman Zuniga into the interdiction of twenty-two police officers has been completed. According to the Ministry three of the officers’ cases are before the Belize Advisory Council, one officer has been reinstated and three others have been approved for reinstatement. The ministry also reported that a security team including a forensic analyst had met with the widow and legal representative of Julian Cho and held full discussions about the circumstances of his death.