Ministry of Health & Wellness to Upgrade Ambulance Fleet

Individuals, who are into micro, small and medium-sized businesses are poised to get a boost to help them along through a loan that the government has decided upon. At this week’s Cabinet meeting, two loan motions were approved for presentation at the next sitting of the House of Representatives. The first is for fifteen million U.S. dollars to assist M.S.M.Es, particularly in the agriculture and tourism sectors. The second loan for eight million U.S. dollars is to facilitate and simplify trade and investment. The two loans will come from the Inter-American Development Bank. Cabinet also gave its approval for the Attorney General’s Ministry to bring into force the Caribbean Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Serious Criminal Matters. Attorney-General, Magali Marin-Young indicated to News Five that this is a law that was enacted in 2006 and that the impetus was for Belize to meet its international treaty obligations. Hence, the approval is for her to sign the commencement order so that it can now be enforced. But if you were drawing any correlation between the enforcement of this treaty at this time and the governments expressed intent to have a special prosecutor take on the high-profile case of interdicted police corporal, Elmer Nah, accused of double murder, well there’s none. A seasoned attorney we spoke with clarified that Belize does not need to enact any treaty in order to hire the services of a foreign prosecutor from the Caribbean or Commonwealth countries. In other Cabinet news, the Immigration Act and the Caribbean Community Free Movement of Skilled Persons Act will also see some amendments, following Cabinet’s approval for such. The changes will be made with a view to allow economically-active citizens who can contribute to the economy and create jobs to move around freely. But the economy and prosecutions were not the only matters that Cabinet dealt with this week. The meeting also gave the green light to the Ministry of Health and Wellness to upgrade its ambulance fleet, starting with three in the first instance. And, as Belize assumes the Presidency Pro Tempore of the Central American Integration System, SICA, for the next six months, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration briefed the Cabinet on our focus during that term. Minister Eamon Courtenay indicated that those topics will be: migration, climate change and food security. Lastly, Cabinet gave its approval for Belize to ratify the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, known as the ESCAZU Agreement. The agreement is designed to uphold and strengthen the values of democracy in the region.