Taiwanese medical team works in Corozal District
We are more used to cashing their cheques than benefiting from their physical presence, but the critical assistance that Belize receives from Taiwan is more than just financial. News Five’s Marion Ali reports from the Corozal District.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Although it passed almost a month ago, Hurricane Dean has left its mark in Belize in more ways than one. Since the beginning of this week, doctors, nurses and technicians from Taiwan have been working in the hurricane-stricken areas of the Corozal District. Today that group was in Caledonia Village rendering free medical care at the Community Centre. Doctor Luke Huang of the Mennonite Christian Hospital in Taiwan is leading the group. He says most of the cases they’ve treated involve skin, respiratory, and water-borne diseases.
Dr. Luke Huang, Leader, Taiwanese Medical Mission
“We saw a lot of children with asthma, allergy condition, as well as respiratory infections. Besides that we do see a lot of skin disorders as well.”
Marion Ali
“And some of these I understand are hurricane-related illnesses?”
Dr. Luke Huang
“Some, especially from skin disorders, especially from the humidity and also from the hygiene and the environmental disaster.”
“We do have two internists, one is cardiologist who is treating the patients for hypertension and also hypertensive-related cardiovascular disease. We do give various kinds of medications to the patients.”
The team also brought with them medicine and equipment that will be handed over to the Ministry of Health. The services being rendered, according to General Surgeon at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, Doctor Jose Moguel, is a significant help.
Doctor Jose Moguel, General Surgeon, K.H.M.H.
“They have cardiologists, paediatricians, general surgeons. I think it’s a quite complete integral approach to the care that they are offering right now.”
Marion Ali
“I know they also brought supplies and medical equipment. Can you tell us how they will complement what we’re used to in Belize?”
Doctor Jose Moguel
“I think they’re really quality stuff that have been brought. They are also needed to address those infectious conditions and other illnesses, like diabetes and such.”
Third Secretary at the Taiwanese Embassy, Erica Lee, says the assistance came after Belize asked the Taiwanese government for help.
Erica Lee, Third Secretary, Taiwanese Embassy
“We asked our government to organize a team to come to the rural areas, especially those areas that has less access to medical services to see if we can help to relieve their suffering, especially from the hurricane.”
Marion Ali
“If you find a case where a patient comes and needs further referral. What will happen?”
Erica Lee
“Some patients they brought their old prescription and discussed with our doctors how come this medicine doesn’t seem to work on them. So our doctors will check, review their prescription and preview their health condition. Maybe there are some items on the old prescription that’s no longer suitable for the condition, so our doctors will ask them to go back to your cardiologist, go back to your doctor to discuss, especially some items that they don’t think is quite right at this moment.”
Also included in the delegation is head of Taiwan’s Technical Mission in Belize, Cheng Hsiung Lin, who donated a supply of rice to the Vice Chair of Caledonia Village for distribution in the village.
Cheng Hsiung Lin, Head, Taiwan’s Technical Mission in Belize
“We know there were some damage in the north so we have a three-part donation. The first part is we prepared about 13, 000 pounds of rice seed for the people. Maybe they need some food so we prepare this for NEMO. And second we donate about 15,000 vegetable seeds and we also donate about $25,000 to buy fertilizer to also share with the small farmers. And third, we try to buy papaya seed from Taiwan. In Belize most of the papaya varieties are from Taiwan. So we prepare about 500 acre of seeds to the small farmers.”
Vice Chairman of Caledonia Village, Bonifacio Pott says of the three hundred and forty families in the village, more than fifty of them were severely affected by Hurricane Dean and they will be the ones to receive the rice.
Bonifacio Pott, Vice Chairman, Caledonia
“We know to whom we will be giving them because we know the village, we live here in the village and we know to whom we will give it. There are homeless people, there are elderly people and we’ll be giving to those who doesn’t have jobs. Those who were working in the papaya industry who don’t have a job right now. We will try to help them.”
Aside from the free clinics and equipment, the medical team also brought along a medical engineer who has been instrumental in repairing E.K.G and X-ray machines at local hospitals. Marion Ali for News Five.
The medical team also performed two minor surgeries, both to treat severely infected wounds. Tomorrow they will visit San Antonio Village before heading to the K.H.M.H. for the weekend. Next week they will work in the Toledo District and head back to Taiwan on September twenty-first. It should be noted that Taiwan is in the same situation as Belize when it comes to severe weather, as that island is struck regularly by extremely powerful hurricanes which in the Pacific are called typhoons.
