Ministry of Health announces new policies that affect stakeholders

Dr. Peter Allen

The Ministry of Health today launched a series of policy documents addressing various issues within the health sector as they affect healthcare providers and the general public.  Information on matters ranging from mental health to communicable diseases to the number of family members who can be allowed in the delivery room during childbirth was presented to stakeholders during a conference held at the Belize Institute of Management Training Room.  Heading the presentation, was C.E.O. in the Ministry of Health Dr. Peter Allen.

Dr. Peter Allen, CEO in the Ministry of Health

“The Ministry of Health is the steward of the health system in Belize but many other groups play a very important role and sometimes in the past work has happened, if you like, in silos or without real integration and harmonization.  What the minister had directed us to do from when he took office was to first of all create or look at a situational analysis.  What are the challenges that really face us and look at the vision of where we want to go as a country in terms of the delivery of quality healthcare services efficiently and effectively and in a sustainable manner and then to develop the strategies, the strategic plan to get us from A to B. These documents then outline all of those processes, the baseline, the epidemiological profile, the vision, the strategic plan and the commitments to our patients in the patients’ bill of rights and responsibilities. The standards for in-patient and outpatient care and many of the other criteria, which you saw launched today and which will all be available on the Ministry of Health’s revamped website at www.health.gov.bz.”

The date for the rollout of the new policy was not announced.