Nigerian volunteers serve with distinction
We are well acquainted with the large corps of dedicated doctors and nurses from Cuba who work in Belize…but there is another group of volunteers, less well known perhaps, who also serve with distinction. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods reports.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
If you have been to the Accident and Emergency at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital over the past two years, you probably recognize one of these Nigerian medical officers. In 2002, the professionals came to Belize to work under a 1990 technical aid corps agreement between both countries. According to assistant secretary in the Ministry of Health, Rudy Avila, the volunteers, who specialize in specific areas of medicine, have greatly contributed to the delivery of qualified health care.
Rudy Avila, Assistant Secretary, MOH
?The programme is a good programme right now. I don?t see it having any room for improvement in the sense that we have a good relationship with Nigeria right now and there are brothers and sisters and they are helping us out. Their professionals are working side by side and hand in hand with out Belizean professionals and they are assisting us a lot in areas that we cannot afford right now at this time or we don?t have the resources in Belize. These areas are? Specifically in Med techs: Medical technologists, doctors, and nurses.?
At the end of their service TAC volunteers can remain in the country and work in accordance with the Agreement. Such is the case of Doctor James Onoja. Onoja, who recently completed his two year assignment, has been retained by the KHMH to continue his work in A and E. Onja says the programme is rewarding but he believes there is still room for further improvements.
Dr. James Onoja, Medical officer, KHMH)
?In areas of local manpower training, the need for better understanding and mutual cooperation, the enhancement of bilateral relationship between both countries, being a brother indeed where there is a brother in need. ?
Presently in the country are officials from the Nigerian High Commission in Jamaica and TAC headquarters in Nigeria. The team is here to organize the arrival of the next group of eighteen volunteers for 2004 -2006.
Frank Isoh, Minister,Technical Aid Corps
?We just don?t send out anybody. We send people who are very qualified. First of all we send their CV?s to the Belizean government to go through and if there are satisfied with their qualification experience level, they get back to us, its only then we prepare the volunteers for departure to Belize.?
Rudy Avila
?You know we have two groups of volunteers in Belize. We have the Cubans and we have the Nigerians. Because of the size of the contingent of the Nigerians right now, we have about twenty-five in Belize at any given time. We don?t have that sort of problems with the Nigerians okay about their qualifications. I haven?t found any cases of not having the proper qualifications with the Nigerians.?
Frank Isoh
?I can tell you that Belize is one country we believe that the programme is doing very, very well, in terms of its responsibilities, it has been very, very forthcoming and I must tell you the Nigerian government was very, very pleased when sometime in 2002, the Belizean government offered residency permit to the group of volunteers who finished that year and they bring them to work in Belize.?
Since the programme started a total of sixty four volunteers have served in Belize. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.
