Minister of Health Says $90 Million Belmopan Hospital Investment is “forward thinking”

Kevin Bernard

Kevin Bernard, the Minister of Health and Wellness, is throwing his full support behind the Briceño administration’s plan to construct a ninety million dollar tertiary level hospital in Belmopan. This morning, he explained that the Western Regional Hospital’s infrastructure is in an irreparable state. He even invited the media on a tour of the facility to witness the disrepair firsthand. It is an offer we intend to take him up on. The newly proposed hospital is also expected to serve as a learning institution for medical practitioners. Here is what Minister Bernard told us when we caught up with him in Belize City.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“The facility is condemned. We need to make the right investment. And I will say this, one hundred and fifty million was invested by the previous administration on Caracol Road. Investing in health is critical and this is why we support the need for us to build that hospital. Now, what other benefits this will be? It’ll not only, so we are looking at an approach that is forward thinking. We need to have vision, not just for five years or ten years, but we need to look down the road. And so, while it’ll provide a secondary care for the people of Belmopan, it will provide some level of tertiary service for the immediate, which is the ICU. So we want to have the intensive care unit set up there, and then long term, it’ll then be in a fully fledged, fully tertiary hospital with secondary care for the people in the surrounding area. And also, when KHMH are an issue, when we have issues, natural disaster, where do we take those patients? Where do we have to find to send those patients that are critically ill? They go to Belmopan, they go to Orange Walk. So, why can’t we then not invest in something that will be able to provide a response for our tertiary patient who need tertiary care?  We have to ensure that the University of Belize will also link them, so the medical side of it will link with a certified institution. We are looking at, possibly like in Mexico or in the Guatemala area.  So those are the discussions that are being had to link so that we can be able to have these specialized person come in and train our people here in country.”